Thursday marked the fifth day of school missed due to the teacher strike in Newton Public Schools. With the strike expected to continue, what will it mean for the district and its students? Families may not welcome the answer.
Does the district have to make up for missed days?
Yes. State law requires schools to be in session for 180 days. The state does have the authority to offer waivers, but past guidance from the 2011 school year, when multiple blizzards resulted in many missed days across the region, largely limited those exceptions to days missed in April or later. Districts were denied waivers after canceling 10 or more days of school due to snow in 2015.
What about the built-in snow days?
Districts have to schedule 185 days of school, building in five extra days in case of cancellations — typically due to inclement weather, or so-called snow days. The Newton Public Schools calendar has June 14 as the 180th day and June 24 as the 185th. If no further days are missed, that means June 24 will be the last day of school. However, with the current strike, it looks like students may be out of school longer. And it’s still January, so classic snow days remain a possibility.
What if more days are missed?
With the snow days used up, it will be up to the School Committee to find other days to make up for lost time. The school year can’t extend past June 30, according to district spokeswoman Julie McDonough, but there are still four more days available at the end of June.
The School Committee could also schedule extra days before the planned end of the school year. Options would include cutting into the weeklong February and April winter breaks or scheduling school days on weekends.
“They have some options,” said McDonough.
Is virtual school an option?
No. If weather forces further school cancellations, those days must be made up. While schools across the state switched to remote learning in the depths of the pandemic, state officials made clear last year that they would not count remote days for snow or any other reason as school days.
Does the School Committee have a plan?
Not yet, said McDonough: “They’re trying to settle the contract.”
“But they will have to figure it out,” she added.
As of now, the School Committee and teachers union still aren’t on the same page on issues like compensation, according to representatives from both sides, making it unclear when students may return to the classroom. Before the strike began, the two sides were far apart on compensation with the union seeking a 13 percent cost of living increase over three years and the School Committee wanting 8 percent.
When will we know the full calendar?
Typically, McDonough said, the School Committee votes on the last day in March or April, once the possibility of snow days has largely passed. With at least five days already missed, though, it’s possible they could have an earlier discussion of how to make up for at least some of the missed days.
Either way, she said, the committee will hold a meeting where members weigh all the options, and then vote at a future meeting.
“Stay tuned to the School Committee,” McDonough said.
What has the district done in the past when it ran out of snow days?
In 2015, when Newton had six snow days, the School Committee voted in April to tack on a day at the end of the year — June 24.
So it’s likely students may be facing more days tacked on to the end of the school year. Sorry, kids.
Christopher Huffaker can be reached at christopher.huffaker@globe.com. Follow him @huffakingit.
"make up" - Google News
January 25, 2024 at 10:39PM
https://ift.tt/A8nwK5r
Explainer: What will Newton do about the missed school days due to the strike? - The Boston Globe
"make up" - Google News
https://ift.tt/dVA9tNi
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Explainer: What will Newton do about the missed school days due to the strike? - The Boston Globe"
Post a Comment