Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 16, 1990                   TAG: 9005160464
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: MARGARET CAMLIN NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

FULL-YEAR SCHOOLS STUDIED

Board members asked Superintendent Harold Dodge to develop several possible plans, one of which could be piloted beginning the fall of 1991, at the earliest. The board will make a decision before the November bond referendum.

The school year for students would remain 180 days, but certain buildings could stay open year-round and thus accommodate more students, according to Steve Staples, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

Board members agreed wholeheartedly to avoid the term "year-round schools," but board member Mildred Gordon said she would favor a 240-day school year. "I think there are kids that need it," she said.

Member Richard Zody, long a proponent of year-round schools, urged the board to act, rather than talk the matter to death and worry about what the public thinks. "Do we or don't we want to do it?"

"We've had all this literature to read over the past six months - let's do it," Zody said. Zody has said repeatedly he will not support a bond referendum for building new schools.

Kennedy then reminded Zody of the importance of public support for such a sweeping change in the school calendar.

Which public are they talking about? Zody asked. Should the board react to what a particular community desires "or do we want to take a leadership position and say what we want to do?"

"If they don't like it, they can dis-elect me next time," Zody said.

Board Chairwoman Virginia Kennedy proposed first holding an open forum to see what parents think of the idea. Dodge and others said it's important for the public to first be educated about the proposal. "My fear is misinformation," Dodge said.

Responding to Zody, board member Donald Lacy said it's too early to decide because he does not yet know what specifically he'd be voting on. "I'm willing to find out what, but I'm not willing to say let's do."

"Decisions by the seat of the pants went out in World War One," Lacy said.

Dodge will be looking into which schools could handle a year-round flow of students. Board members seemed to agree the program should be piloted first - and should involve select schools rather than the entire school system.