Wednesday, March 21, 2001
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Wednesday, March 21, 2001 |
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School board rejects Friday start for 2002 By DAVE
HAMRICK
There will be no Friday start date for Fayette County schools in 2002. The Board of Education Monday night rejected a calendar for the 2002-2003 school year calling for classes to start Aug. 9, and adopted instead a calendar with a Monday, Aug. 12 start date. The board adopts its calendars two years ahead of time to give parents plenty of planning time. A calendar committee presented two proposals for consideration last month. At the time, board members said they didn'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. "People already feel they're being robbed of their summer," said board member Janet Smola. The board Monday also rejected 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. The Calendar Committee also offered a two-day early release proposal instead of five, but the board rejected both. Under the adopted calendar, school will be out for Labor Day Sept. 2, for teacher conferences and staff development Oct. 17-18 and Feb. 14-17 (also President's Day), for Thanksgiving Nov. 20-22, for winter break Dec. 20 - Jan. 3 (returning Jan. 6), and for spring break April 7 - 11. Last day of school will be May 23.
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