It will be interesting to see what decision the Monroe school district makes regarding making up snow days. District Superintendent Larry Brown said Friday he expects to have a plan hammered out by today. Snow days are on the school board's agenda to discuss at tonight's meeting.
The number of large snowfall events and periods of extreme cold this winter have put most area districts in the position of dealing with more cancellation days than planned for in the school year calendar. As a news story in Friday's Times showed, districts are at different phases of problem-solving. But there generally are four ways schools can approach making up snow days:
• Adding days to the end of the school year.
• Having school on Saturdays.
• Adding time to the beginning and end of school days through the end of the year.
• Shortening and eliminating planned spring breaks.
In Monroe schools, it is possible only to add one day at the end of the school year, June 13. The last day of school for students is planned for June 11, followed by a teachers' inservice day on June 12. Summer school begins Monday, June 16.
The district currently has one extra day to accommodate in the schedule. There will be more if the weather does not cooperate the remainder of the winter.
On Friday, Brown indicated the Monroe teachers union was "willing to consider ... extending the number of minutes to the remaining school days to gain back one or two days."
Just a little more than a week ago, Brown indicated a problem with that solution. "It's tough on the kids," Brown told the Times of longer school days. "It's a long day."
It also can pose problems for families whose day care and work schedules might be impacted by longer school days. And, does anyone realistically expect that more will be taught in longer school days?
The Monroe Times conducted an online poll last week, asking readers what snow-day solution they preferred Monroe schools adopt. The response, overwhelmingly, was in favor of shortening spring break, scheduled for March 17-24. Of 354 responses, 279 (79 percent) were in favor of having a shorter spring break. Only 33 responses favored school on Saturday; just 42 favored longer school days.
Granted, the Times online poll is not scientific. It cannot be considered the definitive word on the matter. But an 80 percent response is significant.
Which returns us to the viewpoint we shared Feb. 12, which was that the district's ultimate decision should be driven by what's best for students and families - and not necessarily what's best for the teachers union. As we said then, "the teachers union should be flexible and work with district administrators to choose the option that works best for students and their families."
There is a poll suggesting overwhelming support for cutting short spring break. The district superintendent, while acknowledging no solution will please everyone, has expressed his own concerns with longer school days.
If the district does decide to make adding minutes to school days the solution, hopefully it will not be because it's the only solution the teachers union is willing to accept.
The number of large snowfall events and periods of extreme cold this winter have put most area districts in the position of dealing with more cancellation days than planned for in the school year calendar. As a news story in Friday's Times showed, districts are at different phases of problem-solving. But there generally are four ways schools can approach making up snow days:
• Adding days to the end of the school year.
• Having school on Saturdays.
• Adding time to the beginning and end of school days through the end of the year.
• Shortening and eliminating planned spring breaks.
In Monroe schools, it is possible only to add one day at the end of the school year, June 13. The last day of school for students is planned for June 11, followed by a teachers' inservice day on June 12. Summer school begins Monday, June 16.
The district currently has one extra day to accommodate in the schedule. There will be more if the weather does not cooperate the remainder of the winter.
On Friday, Brown indicated the Monroe teachers union was "willing to consider ... extending the number of minutes to the remaining school days to gain back one or two days."
Just a little more than a week ago, Brown indicated a problem with that solution. "It's tough on the kids," Brown told the Times of longer school days. "It's a long day."
It also can pose problems for families whose day care and work schedules might be impacted by longer school days. And, does anyone realistically expect that more will be taught in longer school days?
The Monroe Times conducted an online poll last week, asking readers what snow-day solution they preferred Monroe schools adopt. The response, overwhelmingly, was in favor of shortening spring break, scheduled for March 17-24. Of 354 responses, 279 (79 percent) were in favor of having a shorter spring break. Only 33 responses favored school on Saturday; just 42 favored longer school days.
Granted, the Times online poll is not scientific. It cannot be considered the definitive word on the matter. But an 80 percent response is significant.
Which returns us to the viewpoint we shared Feb. 12, which was that the district's ultimate decision should be driven by what's best for students and families - and not necessarily what's best for the teachers union. As we said then, "the teachers union should be flexible and work with district administrators to choose the option that works best for students and their families."
There is a poll suggesting overwhelming support for cutting short spring break. The district superintendent, while acknowledging no solution will please everyone, has expressed his own concerns with longer school days.
If the district does decide to make adding minutes to school days the solution, hopefully it will not be because it's the only solution the teachers union is willing to accept.
