U-234 schools to make up for days lost to weather

For the next month, the dismissal bells at USD 234 schools will ring about a half-hour later than usual.

To make up for the school days lost due to inclement weather, school district officials have agreed to extend the school day 29 minutes from Feb. 12 to March 15, Superintendent Rick Werling said on Wednesday. The decision was made after both contract negotiation teams met to discuss options for making up for the lost time. Werling said the school district is not required to make up for the first two days lost, but with the amount of winter weather that has hit the area this year, Fort Scott High School is 688 minutes short of the required time, Fort Scott Middle School is 698 minutes short, while Eugene Ware and Winfield Scott Elementary Schools are 668 minutes short. Werling said the time shortages vary, because the schools start at different times due to bus schedules.

The new dismissal times are 3:30 p.m. for FSHS, 3:35 p.m. for FSMS and 3:20 p.m. for the two elementary schools.

Other options the school district has to make up the time lost were discussed, Werling said, which included starting the school days earlier, adding small amounts of time to each day for the rest of the school year, adding more schools days and even having school on Saturdays. However, he said, each one of those options had negative aspects. For example, if school began earlier, buses would have to start picking up the students even earlier than the current time of 6:30 a.m. Adding more school days or having school on Saturday aren't very popular ideas, he said.

While adding 29 minutes to each day for the next month may not be very popular with the students, Werling said it may benefit them more than they know. He said a major factor behind the decision is that with the added time, teachers will have more time to prepare students for the upcoming state assessments tests that are mandated by President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind Act.

Werling said that was one reason they voted against adding small amounts of time to the end of each remaining school day.

"I know a lot of school districts like to add just five minutes to the rest of the days," he said, "but you can't really do much in five minutes."

Werling said he is confident that the 29-minute addition is the best decision for faculty, staff and students.

"With state assessments coming up, this added time may be needed right now," he said. "Plus, we just wanted to get our time in and get it over with, instead of trying to string it out."