Wednesday, February 28, 2001
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Wednesday, February 28, 2001 |
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Start school on a Friday? Board ponders calendar for 2002-2003 By DAVE
HAMRICK
Fayette students could start school on a Friday under one proposed calendar for the 2002-2003 school year. A calendar committee presented two proposals for the Board of Education's consideration during the board's meeting Monday night. The board will ponder the choices for a month and take a vote at its March 19 meeting. Under one proposal, school would start Friday, Aug. 9, with pre-planning Aug. 6-8. Under the other, it would start Monday, Aug. 12, with pre-planning Wednesday through Friday of the previous week. If school were to start Friday, the extra day would be tacked onto the winter break. Some board members said they don't think much of the idea. "I think it's totally ridiculous," said board Vice Chairman Greg Powers. "We need that weekend to get everything ready and prepared," he said, adding that contractors usually are pushing to finish construction projects in time for school to start, and this would put even more pressure on them. "As early in August as we're going to be starting anyway, we're pinning ourselves down big time here," he said. Parents probably won't like the proposal either, said board member Janet Smola. "People already feel they're being robbed of their summer," she said. Powers also looked askance at a separate proposal for five early release days, to give teachers extra staff development time. "We feel that it's a very needed thing," said Pam Riddle, director of elementary school operations, in presenting the committee's recommendations. Students would be released two hours early Sept. 25, Nov. 6, Jan. 29, March 5 and April 30. "For elementary school kids, that would put them out at 12:30," said Powers. "That's five days out of the year people are going to be totally inconvenienced," he said, adding that some schools don't even finish serving lunch by 12:30. He also took exception to the idea of adding a few minutes to each school day to make up the lost instruction time. Saying it prefers the five-day proposal, the Calendar Committee also offered a two-day early release proposal, which board members seemed more inclined to accept. The proposed calendars have been circulated among school faculties to gather comment. Copies are available at the Board of Education office. The March 19 meeting will be at 7 p.m.
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