THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 29, 1996 TAG: 9602270140
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: JON GLASS
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Board sets snow make-up days
To make up days lost to snow this month, the School Board has scheduled make-up days for March 4 and March 29. A third day will not be made up but will be absorbed as ``bank time,'' which the city's schools accumulate by operating about 30 minutes longer each day than required by the state.
One of the two make-up days was scheduled as a conference day for teachers and parents, while the other day was for teachers to work on report cards or other records.
The board steered clear of holidays, spring break and Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath. Rabbi Arthur Ruberg, president of the Hampton Roads Board of Rabbis, asked the board to avoid Saturdays.
``It's an issue of principle,'' Ruberg said. ``Our Jewish children shouldn't have to decide between school and our version of the Lord's Day.''
Since January, city schools have missed five days to snow and ice.
In hopes of avoiding problems next year, the board approved a calendar for 1996-97 that has six days built in as ``optional'' make-up days. There is a potential for controversy, however: one of those designated as an optional day was Lee-Jackson-King Day. Norfolk officials briefly chose the holiday this year as a make-up day but dropped it after an uproar.
Besides student make-up days, the board also acted to ensure that teachers would have the hours needed to fulfill their 190-day job contracts. At Superintendent Roy D. Nichols' urging, the board agreed to allow teachers to document time they spent working at night and on weekends and use it toward their 190 days.
``This is recognizing that teachers work more than just when they're in school,'' Nichols said, such as grading papers and writing lesson plans at home.
CIP budget for 1996-2000 unveiled
School administrators have released a proposed capital improvements plan that calls for more than $50 million in building projects through the year 2000.
The current five-year CIP plan, which runs from 1995-1999, represents $31 million. The administration has added $16.5 million in requests in year 2000, including $16.5 million to begin the first phase of renovating Norview High School and $1.5 million to design renovation plans for Blair Middle.
Officials also added more than $3 million in projects during 1999, including $1.7 million to design the Norview High project and $2 million in roof work.
The CIP plan includes $21 million to complete the Granby High renovation in 1997, and in 1998 contains $3.5 million for renovation and expansion of Bay View Elementary and $2.2 million for renovation and expansion of Taylor Elementary. by CNB