Many options face trustees over length of school week By JENNIFER LANG ; WELL, WHAT’LL it be? Keep the existing four-day school week in place, or go back to five days but take a longer spring break? Those are just two of the options on the table as the Coast Mountains School District opens debate on the school calen- dar for.the coming year. Six options are being circulated among employee and par- ent groups in preparation for a March 16 decision deadline. - School district superintendent Randy Smallbrugge said each calendar i is based on the total amount of instructional time required under the School Act. : = “The fewer the number of instructional days, the longer the school day,“ he said, ce, : ‘The number of minutes in a school year where students are in class is the same in all six proposals, but each has a different number of school days and breaks. Two of the options up for public comment originate with the school district. } The first is the regular five -day calendar, eliminated in a ibudget-cutting move by the school district two years ago. i. The other is based on a four-day school week, and is simi- flar tothe school calendar that’s been in place for two years ‘now, The four other proposed calendars have come from the community. . f Three are based on fi ive days, but propose extending vari- ous breaks and lengthening the school day: One is from the community of Stewart, where parents and school staff have opted to keep the four-day week in place but have asked for a two-week long spring break that coin- cides with winter break-up. - This option will fit better with logging activities so fami- lies will have more time off together. _ Tanis. Pursell, the Terrace parent who's hit the’ school : district with two separate lawsuits related to the four-day week, has also submitted a draft school calendar. Her plan involves moving back toa five-day school week, but there would be a three-week Christmas break and a two- week-long March break, “An alternative that is popular with many families,” Purssell writes in her proposal. There would also ‘be four, four-day instructional weeks in June under her plan, which also requires nine additional minutes of school cach day. Her proposed calendar also extends lunch breaks and returns the start of. the - school day to 9 p.m. “in or- der to address the increase: in the number of students arriving jate at school-as a _ result of the earlier start time week calendar.” The number of students day ‘has increased since the four-day week was intro- duced as it requires an ear- lier starting lime. Purssell © says endar wilf save the district Randy Smalibrugge - Ing costs, The district went toa four-day week two years ago as a cost-cutting move designed to ease pressure on the budget. It was kept in place for another year because school trust- ees were reluctant to close more schools to make up the nec- essary budget savings. It’s an issue that’s divided the district: people in Stewart like the four day school week, but parents in Kitimat are, opposed, and have even met with education minister Tom Christensen over the matter, ° ° The district's financial outlook is certain to play a role in the board’s decision next month. Today, the school board promised to release the financial implications of each calendar to help fill in some of the ques- tions surrounding the current debate. That information will be available at the school board of - fice in Terrace. The public consultation period ends. five weeks from now.. IV's s possible the board will approve different calendars j in different communities. That’s allowed as long as each op- tion provides for the same amount of class time by the end a of the school year. . 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It’s good news for this year’s trade show chair, Kevin Jeffery. think have the trade show in it, for example, the other a car show — a place where RVs could be displayed,” he continued. : Proud member. of the Chamber fs, of Commerce since 1985. = =% SpecDee WORTHERN BC 5 OFFICE EXPERTS. Ase Lazelle Avenue; Terrace 635-7181 Toll Free 1-800-667-4556 - Fax: 250-638-1467 ¢ www.speedee.ca of having two arenas available. One, could Proud member of the Chamber of Commerce since 2002 | Spa Essentials ~ ‘Day > Spa ~ Proud member 3) A&A TRADING LTD. Log and Lumber Exporting Custom Cutting _ Standing Timber 4812 Loen Avenue _ Terrace, B.C. V8G 128 CANADA “I can start working on other things, such as the budget,” said Jeffery last week. Jeffery is the trade show's chair by tradition in 7 that the i incoming chamber president is also tagged 7 to organize the yearly event al the arena. : Of the 82 spaces available, just five were vacant * Jate last week. ‘ Although that might lead organizers to think about setting up outside booths, Jeffery is holding off on that decision for now. “We just don’t know what the outside might look like,” said Jeffery in anticipation, of what could be a construction site if the city’s planned sportsplex gets underway by spring. “It's still really up in the air. | think we can wait until the beginning of April. until we have to make a-decision. We'll also have,an idea of demand as ~ well.” he added. 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