10/11/98
Opelika * Auburn News* THE NEWSPAPER OF EAST ALABAMA*10/11/98
Article: Year-round school town meeting Monday
Jeff AyresOpelika-Auburn News
The possibility of year-round schooling in Auburn is the focus of a town meeting Monday.
School officials and parents will get the chance to present their viewpoints Monday, 6:30 p.m., at Auburn High School's auditorium.
Terry Ley, a professor in Auburn University's College of . Education, will serve as moderator. Auburn City Schools Spokeswoman Lynda Rainer said the school system was looking for someone neutral on the issue to moderate the meeting.
The public will be able to submit handwritten questions to a pane], consisting primarily of members of a special year-round schooling committee formed by Auburn City Schools, and have them answered by that panel's members.
Each person on the panel is focusing on a different aspect of year-round schooling, such as how it would affect students' ability to hold summertime jobs, its effect on extracurricular school activities and how it would impact parents who have children at daycare centers during the summer months, Ms. Rainer said.
The question-and-answer session will be preceded by a brief presentation on year-round schooling.
Auburn City Schools has been studying the possibility of a new school calendar, and the committee it formed to address that issue has met regularly throughout this year.
School system officials say there are many positives regarding an alternative school calendar, such as a continuous learning cycle for students through out the year, multiple opportunities for students who fall behind to make up coursework, several break periods for students and teachers and greater flexibility for families when planning vacations and other outings.
Opponents of year-round schooling say a new school calendar will cut down on time for children to hold summer jobs or participate in other activities like band practice or summer camp. They also claim year-round schooling in other parts of the country hasn't significantly improved students' grades or attendance, but has created extra costs for those school systems.
Last week, the school system presented parents with four sample alternative calendars. The summer breaks in them ranged from 7 to 11 weeks, while the length of spring break spanned from 1 to 3 weeks. Three calendars contained fall breaks of varying lengths.
Those calendars are strictly samples. No official proposal of an alternative Auburn school calendar has yet been presented.
Monday's gathering is just the first of a number of meetings throughout this month regarding year-round schooling. From Oct. 13-26, meetings will be held at each of Auburn's schools. Each is open to the public.
o Tuesday, 7:15 p.m., Drake Middle School.o Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., Samford Middle School.o Thursday, 6 p.m., Auburn Early Education Center; 6:30 p.m., Dean Road Elementary School.o Oct. 19, 6:30 p.m., Wrights Mill Road School; 7:15 p.m., Yarbrough School.o Oct. 20, 7 p.m., Auburn High School.o Oct. 21, 6:30 p.m., Cary Woods School.o Oct. 26, 6:30 p.m., Ogletree School.
Auburn Schools Superintendent Mick Martin is expected to present a recommendation on year round schooling to the city's Board of Education in December. The board will then vote on that recommendation.
This is the second time this decade year-round schooling has been considered in Auburn. In 1992, the school system decided to continue with its pre sent school calendar.
Article: Opelika, Lee County schools follow YRS
Jeff AyresQpelika-Auburn News
As Auburn City Schools considers the possibility of year-round schooling, officials with Lee CountyÌs other two school systems are keeping an eye on how the process unfold.
Opelika Schools Superintendent Phil Raley said he plans to attend a year-round schooling conference later this year. Opelika Schools assistant superintendent, Rick Dudley, has attended similar sessions in the past.
Dr. Ralev said there have been only "infant stages of discussion" regarding the possibility of year-round schooling in Opelika thus far and added no formal proposal is expected in the near future.
However, he said he foresees a time when not only most schools in Alabama, but most schools across the nation, will be on a school calendar which is different from what they use now. Year round schooling, Dr. Raley explained, has its share of benefits, such as breaks between school terms and chances for students to use that time to do remedial work.
And while the length of summer break may be trimmed in such a plan, a longer Christmas break could mean job opportunities for students at businesses which need holiday help, Dr. Raley said.
"In any proposal like this there are positives and negatives, and those need to be weighed against one another before making a decision," he said.
Lee County Schools Superintendent John Painter agrees that year-round schooling has many positives, but said his school system would look at two key issues before considering any change to its academic calendar.
"We need to find out how it affects student performance, and we need to determine if there are any hidden costs in going to year-round schooling," Mr. Painter said. As in Opelika, no year-round schooling proposal is expected in the near future.
While the Lee County school system continues to operate with a standard August-through-May school calendar, various community-based learning programs have been set up at each of the county's schools on a year-round basis for students who want to expand on what they learn during the normal school year, Mr. Painter said.
School systems in Alexander City and Dadeville, as well as Houston County and Dallas County, are examples of where year round schooling has already been implemented in Alabama.
Letter: Unhappy with format for town meeting
I am writing to alert Auburn parents to the fact that our children's education in Auburn is being served a grave injustice. At Thursday's School Board Meeting, Dr. Martin announced that the only city-wide public hearing on year round school (YRS) is just over one week away on Oct. 12. Worse, the panel will only agree to reply to written questions, effectively muzzling our voices on this important issue. If you need clarification from an appropriately submitted, written question, or if the answer is vague, you are at the mercy of the panel.
This forum can and should be changed. I urge the parents of Auburn to contact Dr. Martin and the Committee to change the format to let our interests be included. The reason for this hearing in the first place was to address parents' questions and concerns. These should be heard, however spontaneously they arise.
This issue is probably one of the most important topics on the Committee's plate, and as such it warrants full, fair input from the public. Year-round schooling is not what Auburn parents want. The committee should not be addressing YRS with the bias it presently is. The members are there to serve our needs, not their own.
Donna Cashore