Spring Break Shortened By A Day

Families with children in Spokane public schools may have to change spring travel plans to make up days missed during November’s ice storm.

District 81 school board members voted Wednesday night for a make-up schedule that scatters the three days children were kept home because of dark, cold schools and downed power lines.

The plan adds Jan. 27, which was scheduled as a semester break day; April 7, the Monday during spring break; and June 13, at the end of the school year.

“This is one of those where you’d be darned if you do and darned if you don’t,” said Associate Superintendent Mark Anderson, who coordinated the schedule and acknowledged it would upset many teachers and parents.

Board members received a barrage of complaints from teachers, many of whom opposed losing part of their spring break.

Some have non-refundable airline tickets. Others planned family vacations far in advance.

“I can’t tell you how many people have called me on this issue,” said Board President Nancy Fike. “This is a topper.”

School administrators are trying to soothe angry teachers by working with travel agencies to get refunds for airline tickets.

Administrators considered several other options, including scheduling the make-up days on Saturdays, during winter break, or at the end of the school year.

Saturdays were ruled out because overtime costs for classified employees, such as cooks, secretaries and teacher’s aides, would be expensive. Estimates approached $70,000.

Winter break was bypassed, too, because families with travel plans and reservations would have had very little time to change them.

Graduation requirements for high school seniors made it impossible to lump all the make-up days at the end of the year, Anderson said.

Seniors must have a 175-day school year before graduating, and ceremonies begin June 6. Under the new plan, seniors will get in exactly 175 days by then. They won’t be required to make up the third missed day, which is scheduled for June 13.

For all other students, the district is required to offer a 180-day school year.

If students miss any more days because of snow, ice or other emergencies, those days must also be rescheduled during spring break, Anderson said.

Some teachers were hoping the missed days could be excused, but state law doesn’t allow that, Anderson said.

The state superintendent of public instruction can waive missed days only when a district has used all vacation periods, or when the school year otherwise would run into late June.

, DataTimes