Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 15, 1994 TAG: 9401180002
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
The School Board adopted the new plan Thursday night, with six days already lost to weather and more anticipated before winter ends.
The first three days already lost will be made up June 7-9. The fourth day will be made up May 30, which would have been a Memorial Day holiday; the fifth, on Jan. 24 which was to have been a teachers' work day; and the sixth by using a day of ``banked time.''
``Banked time'' refers to the time accumulated beyond what the state requires for a school year by Pulaski County having slightly longer school days than the average school division.
The board scheduled makeups for up to nine more days, but hoped it would not be necessary to use them all. Future days lost to snow would be made up in the following order:
March 31, now scheduled as the first day of spring break; June 10, adding another day to the end of the school year; April 5, which would be cut from the end of the spring break; and then June 13 up to June 17. If yet another day is lost, it would be made up on a Saturday at the end of the third nine-week grading period.
In recommending this schedule, Superintendent Bill Asbury told the board that the staff had tried to stay away from Saturdays because ``attendance is rotten'' and away from ``banked time'' because it was believed all that instructional time was needed.
The schedule had been reviewed by principals, teachers, a parents' advisory group and the Pulaski County Education Association president before being presented to the board.
Asbury said he hoped the makeup days would not extend to June 17 but, in any case, they would go no farther than that. If snow days exceed the number of makeup days mapped out, he said, the General Assembly would be asked to lessen the time requirement for the year or more ``banked time'' would have to be used.
by CNB