Assuming no more storms or other events require further school cancellations, Flagler County schools will have four fewer instructional days this school year. Thanksgiving and winter breaks will not be affected, the year will not be extended, and the district will still meet the legally required total of instructional days. The Flagler County School Board signed off today on its calendar committee’s minimal changes.
The district canceled classes on Sept. 26 and 27 for Hurricane Helene and Oct. 9 through 11 for Hurricane Milton. The district had built in extra school days, but the five cancellations dropped the legally required number of instructional days in the first semester to 84, one day short of the minimum required.
Today–Oct. 14–was to be a teacher work day, a day off day off for students. That had been rescheduled to be a regular school day to make up for one of the days lost to Helene. Then came Milton, requiring more shuffling.
The district’s calendar committee met last Wednesday, as the storm was approaching. A lot of student testing had been planned for Oct. 9, the first of the three Milton-related cancellation days, two days before the first quarter was to end. “We didn’t want to end the quarter when students were not in school due to Milton,” Louise Bossardet said. So the quarter was re-adjusted to end on Oct. 18.
The second quarter was to run from Oct. 15 to Dec. 20, ending in time for the Christmas break. Instead, it will run from Oct. 21 to Jan. 10, without encroaching on the break. It’s a 42-day quarter. Combined with the first quarter’s 43 days, that adds up to the required 85.
The third quarter will start on Jan. 13 instead of on Jan. 7. The fourth quarter is not affected. School still ends for students on May 29. Instead of attending school for 179 instructional days, students will attend 175 days.
“In the statute, it does dictate that we can have 180 days, or the equivalent instructional time,” Bossardet said. The instructional time is measured in total minutes rather than days. “We have been running on a 179-day calendar for probably six or six to eight years.”
So there’s no question that the loss of four days is a loss that “teachers won’t get back,” Bossardet said. “We know that the reality is, adding minutes, like a minute here and there throughout the year, isn’t going to give them the instructional time back that they’re going to lose. So we’d be sacrificing those four days.”
Other options would have been to reduce the week-long Thanksgiving break by two days, or to reduce winter break or spring break, none of which were appealing to the committee members. “We did have some conversation about extending the school year, but the way that the assessments run, and the fact that assessments usually close on May 30, we couldn’t really understand if that would have a positive instructional impact on students,” Bossardet said.
The 10-member committee is made up of four representatives of the teacher and service employee unions, four superintendent appointees, a parent appointed by the superintendent and one appointed by the two unions. The district’s testing coordinator sits in as an advisory, non-voting member. One of the parents who serves on the committee wanted to ensure that students are getting the required instruction despite the fewer days.
Now the district is out of room to make up days without eroding days off. “If we have the unfortunate need to make up any additional days,” Bossardet said, “then we would consider taking Monday, January 6. If we had to make up more than one day, we’d have to take out of Thanksgiving break.” January 6 is another teacher work day, when teachers are required to report to school.
At times the state Department of Education will waive mandatory requirements of minimum number of days. The Commissioner of Education informed districts that it had no intentions so far to waive any days.
The School Board approves the district’s calendar the summer before the school year begins. “In emergencies, I can make changes to the calendar,” Superintendent LaShakia Moore said. But the updated calendar will still go before the board for a vote in November. The board heard the reconfigured calendar at a workshop today.
“Good job trying to stay away from the Christmas and Thanksgiving break,” Board member Colleen Conklin said. “I know so many families really look forward–and so do our teachers and staff–just to recoup. “There’s a little bit of a misconception, in my personal opinion, out there,” Bossardet said, based on the state previously waiving instructional time. “They waived the days of meeting the 180-day calendar, but they still said, we will waive that as long as you still meet instructional hours. So we still are bound by the statute that requires 900 hours of instructional time for grades four through 12, and 724 for grades K to three.” Even with losing the four days in Flagler, the district meets the 900 and 724 hours.
Bob Ziolkowski says
Why did my wife, a teacher in Flagler County for about 20 years, here about this plan via Flagler Live? She is glad she heard about it but one would think the school system would have told their staff at all of the schools first.
Keeping us updated says
Almost 24 hours later after your comment, Bob, and ditto here: I just did the same with my significant other; had no clue.
Marc Cotterman says
Where’s the teachers saying “we don’t make enough money” at???