FARMINGTON – The Regional School Unit 9 school year will run until June 19 this year, assuming no more days are lost to storms, after the school board approved eliminating 10 late-arrival Wednesdays at Tuesday’s meeting.
The school board unanimously approved a proposal to eliminate the last 10 late-arrival Wednesdays, running from April 4 to June 13, in order to make up two of the missed days in the 2017-18 school year.
State law requires high school seniors to attend school for 170 days, while underclassmen must attend 175 days. RSU 9 lost nine days this year, three of them in the past two weeks as March nor’easters swept through New England. Five extra snow days are built into the school calendar. That would put the last day of school on Thursday, June 21.
Superintendent Tom Ward said that it was important to end the school year as early in June as possible, in order to accommodate the Extended Year Program, and teachers preparing for the summer school classes. The Education Advisory Committee and Ward developed a plan to eliminate the late-arrival Wednesdays and recoup two days. That would make the last student day Tuesday, June 19.
Ward noted that the district appeared to have dodged at least one storm, as the nor’easter arriving this week is now forecast to pass to the south.
If the district does pick up another snow day, Ward said, he could apply for a waiver with the Maine Department of Education. Such a waiver might be granted due to the day RSU 9 lost back in October 2017. That lost day was due to powerful storm system that knocked out power across much of the state; the storm was later declared a disaster eligible for federal funding.
This is so disappointing. I do not care for our late arrival Wednesday’s anyway, but I do agree that taking them away for the remainder of the year in order to make up for 2 days is great! However, how many days are we “losing” to begin with in a school year because of the late starts??
I’d LOVE to see February Vacation (or even April) removed from our calendars! The kids just went back to school after a long Christmas break, and Thanksgiving 4 weeks before that! I know it doesn’t matter how great I’m doing financially…we sure as heck aren’t doing anything special During the Feb/April breaks, let alone BOTH of them. Still recovering from Christmas….and then add on the additional heating/plowing/vehicles acting up because of the cold expenses….the last thing we’re doing is spending more money on a vacation. Kids might ski, build a snowman….and wildly dream whilst looking out a frosted window pane about getting out of school this Summer to enjoy the snippet of Sunny days we have. I’d much rather have that week, (or weeks) in June.
Does the school count the days lost so far with early release and late arrival? It still costs the same to tax payers to run those buses and run the schools for those days. Besides the waste of money, it gives our young people a false sense of the real world.
Late arrival is an inconvenience for working families anyway.
I would ask the board to reconsider and do away with LAW (late arrival Wednesday’s) indefinitely.
I Agree with all of the above. Early release/late arrival.. is more work for parents than benefits the schools. Still using energy/electricity/gas for the same amount of time. Why do kids need so many vacations, you certainly don’t get that when you start working in the “real world”. Get rid of one wee, or maybe just 2 1/2 weeks? Take Wed through Friday in Feb and April, saving the extra 4 days for snow days??
Late arrivals are not an issue for parents. We get monthly letters sent out all year long specifically saying that any parent that needs to drop off at normal time may do so and there are teachers/staff available to watch the children in the gym. I’m pretty sure our teachers are using their time wisely during that hour that helps further our kid’s education!
I’d honestly be all for our schools day starting sooner than 8:30 and ending earlier at 2pm like Jay does. That way if the school day needed to be extended they’d still get out by 3.
Ridiculous to upset students and parents schedules midweek with LAW. And teacher workshops should be on Saturdays. Many of us have had to sacrifice some weekends to make things work.
This should pretty much settle the value of early arrival/dismissal. Go to school and get an education.
Why didn’t the workshop day for March 23 get eliminated??
What tom knight said.