2/27/14 Benefits of extra calamity days unknown, superintendents say

  • By Nick Sabo
  • February 27, 2014
  • 380
                        
SUMMARY: Schools have been closed for 11 days so far this year Local school superintendents are still trying to digest whether the state legislature’s proposal to forgive an additional four snow days will help their districts. West Holmes Superintendent Kris Perone said she is concerned that students may need to make up all of the days they have missed just to get in a school year’s worth of learning. If that is the case, forgiving four days would actually be a hinderance, Perone said. East Holmes Superintendent Joe Edinger said he is fine with using the four extra days to trim off make up days at the end of the school year, but wants faculty to stick around for training. School districts are granted five days each year that can be written off before they need to start making days up. The days are referred to as calamity days, as they can be used for other reasons besides snow or extreme temperatures. The Ohio House of Representatives approved a bill Wednesday Feb. 19 that would forgive an additional four student days lost to weather. The house bill further allows for schools to extend the school day a half-hour to make up for lost time, and expands by one week the upcoming period for the completion of scheduled achievement tests. The bill is currently being debated in the senate. Schools budget for make-up days while putting together their calendar for the year. East Holmes has budgeted for 10 calamity days at the end of the year in its 2013 - 2014 school calendar. West Holmes has budgeted two days into spring break, with the remainder to be made up at the end of the school year. Edinger said he does not think it would be beneficial for students to stick around for an addtional six days at the end of the year. The staff, however, have several in service programs that must be completed at one time or another, Edinger said. “I’m yes for the kids, but no for faculty,” Edinger said. “I would rather invest the days in staff in service than have the interruptions next year.” Perone said she hopes the final bill will allow school districts to choose whether they want to use the calamity days. It remains to be seen how the days off have hit the district’s progress on the curriculum, Perone said. “There are a lot more expectations for what we have to get done in a school year,” Perone said. “As far as time with our kids and the amount of curriculum...it’s hard to say” if the make up days will be needed to finish a year’s worth of instruction, Perone said. With the five calamity days granted at the start of the school year, both districts are prepared for a total of 15 calamity days. With the additional days granted by the house of representatives, both district’s make-up days would shrink from six to two, as the schedules currently stand. Barring any further calamity days, West Holmes would be able to get its make up days out of the way by cutting into spring break. Edinger said a recent Harvard study that found make-up days do not improve students’ ability to retain what they’ve learned makes the decision easier. “They’ve already zoned out by that point,” Edinger said. Both superintendents said they will continue to use calamity days if the weather demands it, no matter how many make up days add up. “The thing I can guarantee you, the decision is still based on the weather,” Perone said. “(The number of calamity days) is not going to be a factor.”


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