New Kent schools add days to extend calendar year

Two days for students are being added to the end of the school year on New Kent schools’ calendar to make up for days lost this week due to the latest snowstorm.

County school board members voted 4-0 at their March 6 meeting to schedule school for students on Monday, June 16 and Tuesday, June 17. A teacher workday is now set for June 18.

School officials opted to add days to the end of the year over concern for time lost in preparation for state Standards of Learning testing. Adding the two days means SOL testing can be pushed back two days, thus providing more time for teachers to better prepare students.

So far this year, New Kent schools have been shut down 11 days. Four make-up days have already taken place and a fifth (March 26) is upcoming. Effective March 5, school officials have lengthened the school day by 10 minutes, and that remains in effect for the remainder of the school year. The longer school day means New Kent can meet the minimum state requirement for 990 hours of instruction.

School officials avoided slashing days off spring break and scheduling school on Saturdays, citing that doing so usually means a significant drop in attendance.

With the approved calendar revisions, June 16 and 17 become exam days for secondary school students. For the third grading period, interim reports go home on March 11 and the period ends April 9. Interim reports for the fourth grading period are to be issued May 16.

The revisions have no effect on high school graduation, which remains set for June 13. The last day for senior exams is June 10 with June 11 scheduled as an exam make-up day. On June 12, all seniors are to attend a mandatory graduation rehearsal.

In other business, board members are considering a proposed calendar for the 2014-15 school year. The board is expected to adopt next year’s calendar at an upcoming work session or the April 7 regular meeting.

For now, the proposed calendar lists 181 student days and includes one built-in make-up day. If approved, school would open for students on Sept. 2 and close the following spring on June 12. Winter break would be Dec. 22-Jan. 2 while spring break would take place the week after Easter (April 6-10).

The school system’s Calendar Committee is recommending seven make-up days, if needed, next year beginning with the built-in day followed by President’s Day (Feb. 16). Next would be extending half-days on March 4 and 25 to full days. The other four days would entail utilizing “banked time.”