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

DATE: SATURDAY, January 29, 1994                   TAG: 9401290088
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD                                LENGTH: Medium

NO SATURDAY SCHOOL IN RADFORD

January's not over and already Radford schools have missed 10 days, the most in about a decade, said Superintendent Michael Wright.

Even if the weather forces more cancellations - which is more than likely - Wright told School Board members Thursday he will recommend the School Board add to the end of the school year rather than making up missed days on Saturdays.

Saturday makeup days are poorly attended and cause complications for students and their families, he said.

Board members agreed to stick with the present school calendar, instead of eliminating holidays or adding Saturdays.

That would make June 15 the last day of school in Radford. But more snow days could push the closing date into late June.

Wright said he hoped the Virginia School Board Association would persuade the General Assembly to waive the mandatory 180-day minimum for an official school year.

School systems across Virginia that have lost more days than Radford are backing the waiver, he said.

Board member George Drucker said he hoped the weather's impact on school closings would influence the legislature to eliminate the so-called "King's Dominion bill."

Virginia's tourism industry obtained the General Assembly's sanction for the bill, which stipulates that public school classes cannot begin until after Labor Day.

School officials say this calendar mandate limits their scheduling flexibility.

Beginning the scholastic year earlier would allow snow days to be made up without extending the term until summer, according to school officials supporting a change.