COLORADO


The Florence-Penrose School Board listened to the results from parent surveys sent home about the board's potential decision to move to a four-day school week April 11 at a school board workshop. The board approved the change Wednesday.

http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/news/canoncity-local-news/ci_29822663/florence-penrose-school-district-approves-4-day-week/

FLORENCE — The Florence-Penrose School District unanimously approved the proposal to go to a four-day school week Wednesday during a special meeting.

The board's decision will take effect during the 2016-2017 school year.

A small round of applause followed the board's approval. The board room was packed with many people who appeared to show their support for the change.

Board President Tommy Covington said that the majority of the parent surveys sent home March 23 were in favor of the move.

"I've reread all the survey information," Covington said, adding that 75 to 80 percent of families surveyed in the school district supported the switch.
Advertisement

"A 75 (to) 80 percent approval is a high number for anything," he said. "It's our job as a board to make decisions that are in the best interest of the students. It's not like a four-day school week is something new either."

He said their decision won't please everyone, but after looking at the parent surveys, it was clear that a majority of families in the school district want the shorter school week.

Before the vote, board member Linda Schmidt said the entire board has heard and looked at a lot of information to help their decision.

"This isn't something any of us has taken lightly," she said.

She also said she wasn't sold on the idea of a shorter school week initially, but after receiving feedback from parents, her opinion was swayed.

She also said another concern would be how the change would affect students, but after looking at research, she's found that a shorter week doesn't impact learning.

Now that the motion to move to the shorter school week has been approved, the next step will be to submit a calendar to the state for approval.

Superintendent Rhonda Roberts said that they have some rough drafts already, and they hope to have a draft ready for approval before the next board meeting.

A calendar must be completed and submitted to the state by May 13.

Roberts said that they want to have schedules ready, so they could send them home with parents before this school year ends.

Roberts also re-emphasized the board looked at any and all information to help make their decision.

The next school board meeting is at 7 p.m. May 9 at the T&I Building, 403 W. Fifth St. in Florence.

Sarah Matott: 719-276-7648, matotts@canoncitydailyrecord.com

This isn't about funding or low population.

This has been happening across the country for a least 6 yrs. & in RURAL communities, (I didn't check back further), like Georgia.

Perhaps they thought no one would notice.. Since we are all dumbed down & all.

Wakey wakey

I hope it works out for the families of that community.

Sassy, you have a problem with it because why?

First, Why is the change necessary?

Really? 20 years ago we were always in the top 3 in the world for academics, now we are somewhere around 30th.

I guess the good thing is the liberal socialists will have less time to indoctrinate our children

Our current educational system was structured in Austria in the late 1700's. Current research is now finding knowledgeable writing societies pre B.C.
* With today's fast flowing ideas and information, schools prison image and lack of fresh flowing idea's are slowly being replaced.
** The costs of each school is a multi million dollar business with failing outcomes.
** The last vintage of a baby/child sitting service is happily ending. Bursting the vanguard of idea's and thoughts of joyful freedom.

4?! Hell, they should change to 6 days a week

I see pro's and con's with this the problem I have with this. In just a short time the academic expectations from my children career as being a student K-12 and what my grandkid's is horrible.

I remember when I got my hs diploma it meant something now aday's it means nothing..

I would prefer to see the entire school system restructured. .We are always complaining about how bad they are and how under staffed, budget cuts etc.. Well maybe we need to cut out some of the fluff and go back to basics and get really good at that..

Since the school week is being cut by 20% does that mean faculty spending will be cut by 20%?

That is the problem, liberals have taken over and school is now a place of social engineering instead of learning the basics. It's not budget cuts(we spend more per student then almost every country and we rate below 30TH.)
Get back to basics instead of teaching kids about gay life, transgender,anti-bulling and sex ed in kindergarten.

It really angers me when my grandchild that just graduated last year had to take some prep classes at the local community college so she could go to the University..

I totally agree and with this nonsense my taxes keep rising each year...

And Yet it won't happen.

Schools and libraries our institutions of knowledge, were slow to adapt to the internet. The very organizations that should have been the foundation of information sharing through the WEB.

* Learning with open social interaction is enjoyable to most people.

* A community mall convention center staffed by guiding librarians. Relaxed learning area's with interfacing displays, study areas, discussion meeting rooms, lecture theaters. Open 24x7 to all people of all ages.
** The above is not so outrages! Think "Google", Microsoft and all growing cutting edge companies. But for staff only or by invite.

Actually I agree with you and yet up here we have such a vast distance between schools we have been using the internet for years.

I was mainly talking about the lower 48 school system or infact Anchorage Matsu areas..

I still believe we need to have the basics first then add the extras but if we don't have the basics we are lost.IMHO

* Rains
Remember typing class. All the guys hated it! If we had typed

on Mingle2, it would have been our happiest class

** French class . Teachers never said French was the language

of "love", bonjour chaud un

Hey Dog... Ummm TY
And I get it.. and yet if those classes wouldn't help
get an higher education then I say cut them.
And BTW I loved language classes and typing..

I also used them through out my life.

We actually have pretty good public schools where I live...hell, we even still pray before the high school football games kickoff...and the National Anthem is played too.

Do you have a lot of fluff in the school system.
Up here we actually made it to where a lot of the extras are paid by the parents. And fund raisers as it used to be.

My niece is a middle school math teacher. They bust their butts and they can't teach what the kids need now

Fund raisers out the wazoo....no reason to have a dirty vehicle while school is going on..car washes ERRYWHERE lol
As far as supplies, I do know the supply lists are longer than when I was a student....but schools help with the actual supplies if needed.
Of course, parents with kids in activities like band, cheer leading, clubs, etc...do have to pay for a lot of that.

Yeah we do also... lots and lots of fund raisers.. And I don't mind supporting that way...