ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, January 11, 1997 TAG: 9701130034
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
If the price is right, Hidden Valley Junior High School could begin a year-round school schedule by next summer.
Members of the Roanoke County School Board say they like the proposal and seem willing to give it a try if the cost isn't too high.
"It seems to be a good, innovative idea, but the bottom line is whether we can afford it in light of all our needs," said Jerry Canada, a board member.
If the plan costs no more than $50,000 to $100,000, Canada said Friday, he believes the board will give permission for Hidden Valley Junior to begin it.
"But if we're talking about something that could cost several hundred thousand dollars or more, it would be hard to justify," he said.
The board has asked school officials to provide firm cost estimates before it votes on the year-round plan.
School officials assume that costs for bus service and cafeteria operations would increase because some students would be going to school during the summer.
But Hidden Valley may not have to hire additional teachers because some members of its current staff are willing to choose the year-round schedule.
"I'm encouraged that we can do it without a large cost, but we need hard data," Canada said.
Board members said they need to know the financial implications because of other budget pressures, including higher costs for teacher pay raises and the purchase of textbooks and other equipment.
The board also will receive a report soon from a residents' committee that is expected to recommend that the county spend millions of dollars on school improvements.
Hidden Valley officials have developed a plan that would allow students to trade their traditional long summer vacation for shorter breaks throughout the year.
They have proposed a schedule that calls for students to attend schools for nine weeks and be off for three weeks. The pattern would start in the summer and continue throughout the school year.
Students would have 180 days of class, the same as in the traditional school calendar.
The traditional schedule, with classes beginning in late August and ending in June, would continue to be offered at Hidden Valley. The year-round schedule would be voluntary.
Advocates of year-round school say it could help improve student academic achievement and attendance, reduce student and teacher burnout, and provide remedial help sooner for students needing it.
The school year in most industrialized countries is longer than that in the United States, and students in those countries often score higher than U.S. students on international tests in math, science and reading.
Critics of the U.S. education system contend that the 180-day school calendar is outdated and a longer school year is needed to prepare students to compete in the global economy.
Meanwhile, Roanoke is considering a pilot year-round project that calls for children to go to school 200 days a year.
City school officials have begun planning for a year-round calendar at one elementary school during the 1998-99 school year.
Superintendent Wayne Harris has included $7,500 in next year's budget to plan the pilot project at a school that has not been identified.
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