Counting hours means more taxpayer dollars

The State Department of Education has long mandated 180 days of school each year. Now they suggest we scrap this plan and replace it with a required minimum of 1,170 hours of instruction - the equivalent of 6.5 hours per day for 180 days. The Gazette Editorial Board says (Feb. 11), “That (proposed change) makes more sense to us than counting the days.” I disagree.

Staff development, often done on Wednesdays when students are dismissed early, will come to a screeching halt. If teachers are not given time to collaborate and learn from others in the field, they do not grow and students lose.

We cannot even guess how many days will be added to each year because the school calendar will be determined by the weather. If we have a lot of early-outs and miss more than a day or two due to fog, ice, snow, broken water pipes (or whatever), kids might be watching the Fourth of July parade from their classroom windows!

Keeping track of hours requires more bookwork, and more bookwork translates into more taxpayer dollars.

The editorial says, “It's an effort that complements current discussions about educational reform and accountability.” It may be an effort, but it's certainly a misguided one.

Jacquie McTaggart

Independence