Penland loses battle to start school early next year

Listen to the Feb. 22 School Board meeting.

Superintendent Scott Penland wants to start school early next year to leave room for making up snow days. But he can’t.

He presented the school board with two calendars for the 2010-2011 year. Plan A starts school August 16. Plan B starts August 25.

“I think I jumped the gun here,” he said. “After all the snow we had I got to feeling really good about the chances of getting the calendar changed this year. I said there’s no way they’re going to make us stick to that August 25 date. So I proposed two calendars, plan A and Plan B… I think now Plan A needs to be Plan B and Plan B needs to be Plan A.”

Penland said he heard the state wouldn’t budge on moving up starting dates, which would mean breaking the law if he stuck with Plan A.

“There’s a big group down in Raleigh just waiting to sue somebody. And I don’t want to be sued,” Penland said. “The law says you can’t start before August 25. It’s not a recommendation.”

The only exception is for schools that miss eight days four times in a ten year span. Clay doesn’t make the cut.

So for now Penland is counting on August 25, having decided to begin distributing Plan B to faculty.

Clay County Schools have already missed seven days this year, Penland said, adding that two days have since been made up for.

With five days left to recover, Penland assured the board that Memorial Day, Good Friday, spring break and even Saturdays are game.

Saturday school days must be added in the same weeks when days are missed to avoid having to pay teachers overtime, he said. Cherokee County Schools recently made-up school on a Saturday.

“None of them are good options. I really like Saturday less than any of them,” Penland said. “I just think you’re wasting time, but that may be the answer.”

He said the school year can be pushed past the June 10 deadline because the calendar was originally set to meet that date.

Penland showed the board an online video of Asheville City Schools Superintendent Allen Johnson discussing his weather procedures in the face of the county’s brutal snowfall this winter.

“Let’s leave it alone for now,” Penland said. “Right now I’m suggesting we sit back and hope we don’t miss anymore.”

The school board also briefly discussed:

• Releasing student Tyler Breedlove to Macon County.

• The state’s expected 3 percent budget cuts for next year.

• The proposed changes to the N.C. social studies curriculum.

The video Penland showed the school board:

Inclement Weather Primer from Community Relations Department on Vimeo.