Soon, Indian River School District students might get more half-days and might not have to make up days in school missed because of snow, ice or fog. In a presentation made to the district’s board of education on Tuesday, Gary Brittingham said that district students attend school for more hours than is required by the state.
Brittingham said the district could have cancelled 26 days of school last year and would have still met state instruction hour requirements.
“We’d have to have the greatest snow storm in history for us not to meet the state requirement,” Brittingham said.
Brittingham started studying the school’s calendar last year at the request of district Superintendent Lois Hobbs, because of professional development requirements for teachers.
Every five years, the state requires that teachers spend 90 hours in professional development courses. Though most of these courses are taught by consultants in district schools, teachers are still required to miss class, which costs money.
Depending on their level of education, the district pays substitute teachers on a state rate scale, ranging from about $70 to $100 per day. For 10 teachers — a number far less than what is actually employed by any one school in the district — those substitute expenses could cost more than $10,000 in five years.
Brittingham said that Delaware law requires students to be scheduled for school on 180 days out of the year. A school day for student, however, only translates into 5.88 hours under the state law.
According to the law, students outside of 12th grade (where the requirements are actually less stringent) must only attend school — without a good excuse for being absent — for 1,060 hours a year, he said. By those calculations, Brittingham added, Indian River students spent at least 152 hours more in school last year than what is required.
Brittingham urged the board on Tuesday to “use the flexibility” provided by the 26 extra days students currently spend in class. “We could take advantage of the law.”
Board members voted on Tuesday to allow the district’s curriculum and calendar committees to meet to discuss options that would allow teachers to attend professional development courses in time not already allocated for the classroom.
Nina Lou Bunting, a board member and chair of the curriculum committee, said the meetings focus would be simple: “Where can we find the hours that don’t cost us any money or sacrifice education.”
Officials might eventually vote to establish more half-days at district schools, beyond the seven already set aside by the district for in-service hours for teachers. In that half-day the students aren’t in school, teachers could be in professional development courses. Lengthening school days for teachers could also eventually come to a school board vote.
Another option would be to not make up days missed because of bad weather. That way, teachers could use those extra days at the end of the school year for courses.
Shortening the school day for students also arose as an option at Tuesday’s meeting, but Brittingham said that is not an option that is likely to be exercised.
“We don’t want to reduce hours because it’s paid off for us” to have extra hours in the classroom said Brittingham, referencing Indian River’s perennially high state testing scores.
And besides, there are already a plethora of options to choose from, he added.
“There are all sorts of possibilities,” Brittingham emphasized.
Elling protests campaign
Ocean View resident Lloyd Elling spoke during the public comment session of Tuesday’s Indian River School Board of Education meeting, protesting the re-election campaign of 29-year school board veteran and current school board President Charles Bireley. Elling claimed that district Transportation Supervisor John Mitchell had posted re-election signs for Bireley. Elling said, “This is a serious conflict of ethical behavior.”
Bireley said he had no knowledge of anything Mitchell had done to help with his re-election campaign. And Ken McDowell, the administrative director of the Sussex County Board of Elections, said that even if the accusations are true, they would cause no legal ramifications.