The Arkansas Board of Education on Thursday approved waivers of the required minimum 178 days of classes for 75 school districts that closed, some for as many as 23 days, because of inclement weather this school year.
The number of approved waived days ranges from one to 13.
The Mammoth Spring and Viola school districts, which closed schools for 23days, each received waivers for 13 of those days - giving the districts a 165-day school year.
Seventy-three of the 75 districts that sought waivers presented plans to make up at least 10 of their missed school days. That is being done by holding classes on previously scheduled teacher work days, holidays, Saturdays and spring-break days, and by adding days to the end of the school year.
More than 60 Arkansas school districts are holding classes during all or part of next week’s spring break because of the missed days caused by winter storms from December through March.
The Decatur and Quitman school districts presented plans to the Education Board to make up only nine of their canceled school days, prompting the Education Board to vote Thursday to require them to make up one more of their missed days. The Decatur district, which missed 16 total days, was approved for a waiver of six days, instead of the requested seven. The Quitman district, which missed a total of 13 days, was approved for three waived days, instead of the requested four.
Brett Bunch, principal ofQuitman High School, was one of the dozens of school and school district leaders to attend the Education Board meeting Thursday. Still more listened in via a telephone conference call.
“We are happy with the three days that we have waived,” Bunch said after the board vote. “It’s going to make it a better year for our kids not to have to go to school into the middle of June.”
Quitman leaders had made plans to make up all of the nine missed school days for the year, but then a winter storm this month caused the district to close schools for four more days, Bunch said.The district was reluctant to schedule makeup days during spring break on short notice, which would disrupt vacation plans made by teachers and students’ families, he said. The district instead asked for the four-day waiver, now reduced to three days.
The school year will end June 2 for Quitman students.
State Education Board member Alice Mahony of El Dorado said she had concerns about the elongated school year and the shortened amount of summer time for teachers to obtain necessary training or to enjoy some “down” time.
Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell said he anticipates that the Legislature in its January 2015 session will consider alternative ways to make up canceled school days, possibly by using online lessons in cases where all students have access to technology.
Kimbrell warned that the makeup days this year should be meaningful instruction days of at least six hours as is required by law for a school day. He cited a past case in which a school district leader sent a note home in student backpacks saying that students would spend a makeup day playing basketball in the school gym, eat lunch and then go home.
“If we have evidence that that happens, then that day won’t count,” Kimbrell said. “They won’t have met the standard, and they will be placed on probation as a district. There would be consequences.”
One of the main concerns about the high number of missed days is the lost opportunity for instruction before the Benchmark and End of Course exams, most of which begin in April.
Board member Diane Zook of Melbourne commended the West Fork School District for making up 18 of its 21 missed days. The district is doing that by using two winter-break days, all of spring break, all five inclement weather days built into the school year calendar and by adding six days to the end of the school year. The Education Board approved 3 waiver days for the district.
Zook also noted that while Fayetteville, Bentonville and Rogers requested waiver days, the Springdale School District in the same region did not request a shorter school year.
“I would encourage superintendents who figured it out to share with other superintendents how they did it,” Zook said.
Most of the districts that missed so many days that they qualified for waivers are in north Arkansas.
In central Arkansas, fewer school days have been canceled, but there were cancellations nevertheless.
The Little Rock district is making up missed days - including a late-start day and an early dismissal day both caused by weather - at the end of the school year. The Little Rock district’s last day for students is June 11.
The Pulaski County Special School District’s last day of school is June 5. The district is also using its previously scheduled April 18 school holiday as a class day.
In North Little Rock, the last day of school for students will be a half day on June 9. The district is making up 5 ½ days.
Two more districts that are seeking state approval of school day waivers are the Newport and Bay school districts. Their requests for two waived school days will be addressed by the Education Board at a special teleconference meeting March 28.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 03/21/2014