Hybrid 4-day school week approved for WHS

By Kathryn Reed

ZEPHYR COVE — Whittell High School’s four-day school week is almost exactly how Principal Sue Shannon wants to leave it for her successor starting in the fall.

The only thing the school board didn’t agree to on Tuesday afternoon was to put the snow days on Fridays in April or May instead of tacking them onto the end of the school year.

Douglas County school board member Randy Green pulled the item from the consent agenda so he could get some clarification as to why staff was recommending this. He called the make-up days “educationally useless” when they are in June.

Assistant Superintendent Rich Alexander explained it was necessary to have the snow days at the end of the school calendar because Whittell and Zephyr Cove Elementary share staff for physical education, art and music. Contractually with teachers it would not work to have two make-up days for one snow day.

Board member Cindy Trigg said she would like to see the district move in the direction to have Whittell’s snow days incorporated into the school year instead of extending the school year. She said this would be better for AP testing as well not extending the school year.

What the board did approve 6-0, with Keith Roman absent, was a hybrid schedule for 2010-11. Next school year will be the second year of the pilot four-day week. The major change is having students go to class on Fridays during weeks when there is a holiday so instruction is still given four days.

For more information about the Zephyr Cove school’s four-day school week, click here.