Saturdays, June days will be makeup days

The schools will take a novel approach to future make-up days. For the rest of the season, a missed day will be made up the following Saturday.
That's the decision reached by the McDowell County School Board Monday night at its regular meeting for February.
Superintendent Ira Trollinger told the board members they would have to make some decisions about when to schedule make-up days. Five days have been lost so far this season to weather-related cancellations. Thus far, they can be made up on Memorial Day, Goof Friday and annual leave days.
But, he said, the board would have top decide whether to use spring break days, summer vacation days or Saturdays in the event of further episodes of bad weather.
"We have every intention of students having spring break week intact," he said, "although faculty might have top come in that Friday." He wanted to know if the board agreed that spring break should be preserved. If so, he said, the board would have to move to authorize extending the calendar beyond June 10.
Would the board be willing to see school go to the 14th, 15, 16th of June?
McDowell High School Principal Ben Talbert said the school would prefer to have graduation on Friday, June 11. Board members generally agreed that school days after graduation would be less than productive.
Saturdays would be an option, Trollinger reminded them. But what about overtime? Labor laws require that hourly employees be paid time-and-a-half when exceeding 40 hours in a work week.
He said that would not be a problem if the Saturday came the same week as the cancellation. If school is cancelled on a Tuesday, for example, it could be made up Saturday of the same week, and no one would get overtime.
That solution met no objections. But what, asked Board Member Brian Piercy, if the weather remains bad that Saturday, as in the recent pattern of Friday snowfalls. Then it would be necessary to extend into June.
The board agreed to authorize extending into June. Further days can now be added by administration, without further board approval, said the board's attorney, Chris Campbell.
Several board members, lie Dewey Rayburn, were incensed.
"We all know that Saturday in school will be a wasted day," he said, "just like June days after graduation will be wasted days." But, given the state's emphasis on preserving the summer tourism season, there's little choice. The state mandates that school on the traditional calendar must not open before August 25 and must dismiss by June 10.
"We have got to get the issue of school schedule away from the Legislature and back with the county," said Rayburn. "We knew it all along. And if they won't respond we'll have to take the issue to the ballot box."
The McDowell News asked Rep. Mitch Gillespie, Sen. Joe Sam Queen, state Superintendent June Atkinson and Gov. Bev Perdue to state their positions on the issue. None responded by deadline Tuesday.
When and if Saturdays are added, there are sure to be some absences. Pastor Ron Davis of the Seventh-day Adventist Church of Marion said children for his church and any other traditional Sabbath-observing faith would of course not attend.
"To miss a day of school is a small price to pay in order to uphold our religious convictions," he told The McDowell News Tuesday.
He said most of his congregation were older, and there are few children in the local Adventist community. "But my granddaughter definitely won't be going."
He said if he had his way, make-up days would be scheduled for spring break, since the kids have already had the day off in advance. He would like to see more two-hour delays with the proviso that buses will not run on icy roads.
Only two weeks into February, further snow events seem likely. Trollinger said he didn't like to cancel school, but that he would always err on the side of caution when conditions appeared dangerous, or like they could become dangerous.
"I can only say that this has been one of the most difficult years to get it right," he said. "I rely on forecasts from NOAA, the National Weather Service and Chanel 13 (WLOS).
Monday morning's last minute cancellation meant kids stayed home on what turned out to be a sunny and clear day, but he said, the conditions at 7 a.m. indicated that closing school was the safest course.
"It's very easy to Monday morning quarterback" he said.