Local News in Brief : School Year Starts Early

The first day of school came early this year for an estimated 1,800 students attending four Long Beach elementary schools that began year-round operation Tuesday. “Things went pretty smoothly,” said district spokesman Dick Van der Laan.

The 6,700-student district, which is growing at a rate of more than 1,000 students annually, decided last year to implement year-round operation of the four schools as a hedge against overcrowding. School officials say they hope eventually to expand the program--which they believe will increase capacity by 25%--to include all of the district’s 56 elementary schools.

Tuesday’s attendance--which represented about 80% of the expected enrollment at the four schools--was about 10% lower than usual first-day attendance, Van der Laan said. He attributed the lower turnout to misunderstandings on the part of some parents. “We’re trying something new here,” he said.