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Highlands Today

Parents Sound Off To School Board

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By MARC VALERO

Highlands Today

Published: January 25, 2009

Updated: 01/25/2009 05:11 pm

SEBRING - Highlands County School Board members have been fielding phone calls from parents who are upset with a proposed doubling of the number of early release days from 10 to 20.

The board and Superintendent Wally Cox noted that teachers need early release days for training and preparing grades and other paperwork, but parents believe their children's education is being comprised by the shorter school days.
School Board Member J. Ned Hancock said he has received phone calls from parents asking "what idiot suggested we add more early release days?"

"I told them that was me," Hancock added.

He explained why some of the early release days were on the proposed 2009-10 calendar, including Feb. 18 and 19, which used to coincide with the fair. The district wanted to keep two early release days in February, he said.

The number of holidays and early release days have extended the school year another week at the end of the year (in June), Hancock noted. It makes business sense that the earlier the school campuses can be shut down, the less it costs the district.

The last day of school for students on the proposed 2009-10 calendar is June 10.

He noted that holidays and early release days were tough on families who need childcare for their children.

There should be an easy way to relook at the number of holidays and move the end of school to June 4, Hancock said.

The Advanced Academics teachers requested three early release days for each of the four grading periods, which would be a total of 12, Hancock said. "I don't know how we went from 12 to 20."
School Board Member Richard Norris said parents are "absolutely shocked" at the number of early release days.

A parent noted there were 42 weeks in the school year and only 10 of those weeks were uninterrupted with no holidays and no early release days, Norris said. The parent wondered how there can be any consistency in a student's education when they are off every other week.

"I've had several negative comments on this over the last month and a half on this," he said.

School Board Chairman Andy Tuck said parents have asked him what quality of education students are receiving on early release days.
Hancock said if middle and high school schedules are changed, the teachers will need more time and the only way is with early release days.

Cox said he understands some of the concerns that the parents have expressed.

With the proposed secondary schedule change, which would provide budgetary relief for the district, Cox said additional early release days would help teachers.

Also, in the past, teachers were paid extra for training during the summer, he said. Staff development is still critical and it can be done during some of the early release days.

Some counties have one early release day each week, Cox said.

The district is considering a secondary schedule that would cut 29 teaching positions for a savings of $1.67 million. Additional early release days would help teachers who would have more students and less daily planning time.

School Board Vice Chairmen Wally Randall suggested some changes to end the school year earlier on June 4.

The board discussed various options that would maintain the 180-days of instruction required by the state, including removing Veterans Day from the list of holidays.

The board believed, that especially at the elementary level, students would learn more about the significance of the day with the veterans programs that are held in the schools.

The board took no action on the calendar and suggested reducing the number of early release days from the proposed 20.

Also, the board recommended changes to end the school year earlier.

Highlands Today reporter Marc Valero can be reached at 863-386-5826 or mvalero@highlandstoday.com

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