Adding 5 days to school year

[JMonk]

I live in Alabama and we have just been told that there will be 5 days added to our calender year. As if starting school the first of August isn't early enough.... wow, it seems like we are getting our summer's cut shorter and shorter.

Are there any other states where your school year is changing??

 

[Dawn]

Us too

In my district, they have found a way to sneakily add 5 days. We used to get 5 built-in snow makeup days (because we add 15 minutes to each school day and thus "bank" our snow makeup days.) So, up until now, the first 5 days we missed for winter weather, we didn't have to make up; after 5, we started losing workdays and such.

Well, starting next year, we have to make up all snow days, starting with the very first one. Even though we are still banking extra time each day for snow makeup days, we won't be using the banked time. We start losing workdays and Monday holidays from the very first snow day we get. Teachers are livid and parents are confused. A very devious way to get us to work 5 extra days!

When we asked our principal about it, he said that teachers who complained were "selfish" and that we should consider what's best for the kids. Really? I think our school board is considering what is best for test scores, not for the kids. I haven't seen any studies that say kids' emotional and academic well-being is harmed by having snow days. But if you re-define "kids" as "test scores" then it makes sense to get as many days of instruction in before May testing as possible. Hmmm.

 

[Kiki]

In our district

They are talking about adding 20 - taking our teacher days to 221.

 

[maryteach]

Say, third grade teacher,

starting the first of August is brutal! When do you get out for the summer (this year)?

 

[looloo]

same here, Dawn

We have ended up having to work five extra days because we didn't use our "banked" snow days this year.

This year we started on Aug. 8 - end on May 26.
Next year we start on Aug. 7 - end on May 25.

 

[Ima Teacher]

We're adding days as well, but I haven't figured out how many yet. (conflicting reports) We're getting a "raise" . . . although it's technically not a raise since we're working more days.

We always start the first week of August. We're not allowed to "bank" days for snow/flooding/illness even though out student day is longer than required by law. One year we missed lots of days for snow, so we started in August (July for teachers) and didn't get out until the second week of June. Yuck!

We started the first full week of August this year, and we're getting out May 24th. (We take one week in October, two weeks in December, and one week in April.)

 

[NJ Teacher]

Calendar year

In our district, the only way days could be added to the calendar is if the Teachers' Association agreed to it in negotiations. That being said, the existing days could be put into the calendar any way the Board wants to, so long as it doesn't exceed the negotiated number of days.

 

[fun_friend]

I hope your pay will reflect the added time at work.

 

[Don]

Increasing the day

In MI instead of adding days, they added 12 minutes onto each day. I actually like it better than taking away more of the summer

 

[NCteacher]

Wow....

I worked in a district 3 years ago in NC where the teacher's went back to school on July 31st, kids started around August 8th or so. Kids got out the last week of May and teachers the first few days of June. It got so ridiculous that NC passed a law stating that children cannot start school before August 25th and cannot go past June 10th. That has been so much better! In the district I teach in now, if we have snow days, we tack them on the end of the year. I like that much better- no fun to go later in the spring, but better than losing holidays and teacher workdays.

 

[fun_friend]

I don't really mind having August turn into a school month because it is soooo hot in Georgia in August! The tough part for me is going until November before getting a significant vacation from school.

All this talk about extending the calendar by 5 days. It occurs to me that my system did it to me without my realizing it. Once upon a time we got off at 3:10 (or at least the kids did). Now school is in session in our middle school until 3:25. We DON'T get paid more for this extra time. Elementary teachers claim we get more time for planning and maybe some days we do, but frequently we must attend meetings or conferences during this time. Plus elementary students get out of school at 2:30. Those teachers could plan until 3:25 and still be able to leave campus before I do. Verrrry interesting!!!

 

[JMonk]

Maryteach

Our last day this year is May 24... Yes, August is a bit early!!

 

[JMonk]

Wow

I am surprised with how many other districts are changing their schedule. Dawn, The comment your principal made about "being selfish" and we should do this for the kids..... PLEASE!!! ( some principal ). I do think a lot has to do with test scores.... They worry so much about the bottom line, they don't look at the restless kids, tried teachers, etc.

What ever happen to just teaching kids?? Have things changed, or am I just a "gullible" new teacher??

Hope everyone enjoys their summer.... I have two weeks of workshops I have to attend. Wow, this job could be time consuming at times...

 

[Carolyn]

change in schedule

My schedule was changed this year. I began teaching at 7:45 instead of 8:00 as I did last year.

I live in NC, and our state changed the dates we get out (as was pointed out above). The only problem is that I'm thinking that the kids are going to shut down as early this year as they have in previous years, and we will still have more time to go before the year ends. As it was, the kids acted as if they were brainless before spring break. Ours complained about a shorter Christmas break this year, but then we quickly asked them if they wanted a shorter Christmas break or to go to school later in June.

We continue to have a 180-day school year with 195 days of work for teachers. That was reduced from 200 teacher days of work. I think that somebody decided that there would be a cost savings if we didn't have to run all of that electricity for teachers to be at school on those days. We wanted to reduce it to 190, but that hasn't happened yet. It was 190 when I worked in SC. It was 184 when I worked in PA, and the salaries are higher there.

For those who have had 5 extra days added on: I hope you get a salary increase that amounts to a week's pay!

 

[LindaM]

NJ Teacher

In my district, we are contracted to work 185 days, with 180 student contacts days. Our association agreed to this in negotiations. They allowed 5 snowdays and only 1 was used. We will be getting out 4 days earlier. We started on September 2 and get out June 16th.

 

[Carolyn]

lucky in the northern states

Those of you who have unions to represent you are lucky. Here in the South, they can throw anything at you and there's nothing you can do about it. I am hoping that the powers-that-be in NC don't get wind of a longer school year in othre places. I think ours is long enough as it is.

 

[Mrs. R]

Here in MA

We have 181 school days scheduled for students, 183 for teachers. We have one snow day built in-any more need to be made up at the end of the year. We have one week vacations in December, February, and April. School started September 7 for students (September 6 for teachers) and our last day is June 21. Our school committee needs to negotiate any changes in the calendar with our union. Each school committee has its own schedule and some districts do have more days of school than we do.