Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 29, 1994 TAG: 9401290172
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Some have opted for Saturday classes. Others have cut into their spring breaks. Still others have extended the school year.
Many school systems are using a combined approach.
Because so many days have been missed, longer school days appear to be in the offing for some children.
Roanoke County is considering extending its school day by 15 minutes for elementary pupils and 14 minutes for middle and high school students.
This would preserve a three-day spring break for county children if bad weather in February doesn't force more closings. The county has missed 10 days.
Roanoke County can use a longer school day to make up part of the time because the state requires 180 days or 990 hours of classes a school year.
Already, the county's school day is longer than the required 5 1/2 hours. The county's day for high schools is six hours. For elementary schools, it is five hours and 36 minutes.
Five of the county's missed days will be made up by eliminating three days of spring break and using two other days which had been scheduled for teacher work and parent conferences. The school year also has been extended by one day to make up a sixth day.
Assistant Superintendent Deanna Gordon said Friday the county will use accumulated "banked time" from the longer school day this year to cover three snow days.
But that leaves one day to be made up, along with other days which might be missed before spring.
Gordon said the county expects to extend its school day beginning Feb. 14. The high school day will be extended by 14 minutes, instead of 15 minutes as in the elementary schools, because of the convenience of two minutes for each of the seven periods, she said.
School Board Chairman Frank Thomas said he prefers longer school days to Saturday classes.
"Saturday is a wasted day. We are here to give quality instruction, and I don't think you would get that on a Saturday," Thomas said.
Thomas said he is worried that bad weather might cause students to miss more days.
"My worst fear is that we'll be back here in February and have the same situation."
School officials in Bedford and Franklin counties said Friday they, too, might be forced to consider a longer school day if they have more missed days.
Franklin County Superintendent Leonard Gereau said that is one alternative if the bad weather continues.
Franklin County has missed seven days. They will be made up by two built-in snow days in the calendar, eliminating four days of spring break and having school on Memorial Day.
In Bedford County, students have missed nine days. Superintendent John Kent said the county has used a several scheduling changes to make up the lost time without cutting into the spring break. They include adding two days at the end of school, going to school on Memorial Day and having longer exam days.
In Roanoke, students might have to attend school on one Saturday or lose part of their spring break.
Roanoke has missed five days because of snow and ice. Students made up one day on Friday, when they had been scheduled to be off. Students will attend schools on two days that had been slated as teacher work days. They will also go to school on Memorial Day, leaving one day to be made up.
Lissy Runyon, public information officer for Roanoke schools, said the School Board will make the decision on how the remaining day and any others this winter will be made up.
Salem has missed eight days. Salem students will go to school on three Saturdays to help preserve their spring break. Four other days will be made up on built-in snow and teacher work days.
Superintendent Wayne Tripp said Salem might use part of its banked time to make up the remaining day. Salem's school day is almost six hours.
"Our community wants to keep its spring break," Tripp said.
The school year has been extended and the spring break has been reduced in Botetourt County to help make up 10 days lost to snow and ice. Assistant Superintendent Garland Jones said Botetourt's school year will be extended by four days and other changes will be made.
by CNB