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Calendar: School to start on Aug. 7, finish by May 25

By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

Two proposed calendars being considered by the Fayette County Board of Education should make parents who are happy with the 2005 calendar very happy.

“We try to give our parents as much planning time as we can,” said Superintendent of Education John DeCotis.

Curriculum Director Lynn Wenzel offered the board two options for their perusal. Both calendars start the school year Aug. 7 and end on the Friday before Memorial Day, May 25.

The main change would be when the board decided an early release day should be in October. The first proposal has an early release day on Oct. 19, followed by a teacher workday Oct. 20. The advantage of the proposal, Wenzel said is that Oct. 20 is the statewide day for staff conferences.

“We have so many of our teachers attending the conferences that it would cost us between $13,000-$15,000 for substitutes,” she said.

The second proposal features the early release day on Oct. 6 with the teacher workday set for Oct. 10.

“Our elementary teachers liked this proposal because it coincides with the end of the first nine-week period,” said DeCotis.

Wenzel also passed out information sheets to the board that showed only five systems in the state starting later than Fayette County did this year.

The proposals will be further discussed at the board’s May 16 meeting.