May 22, 2008

Ava R-I School Board members adopted a school calendar during a public hearing last Thursday, in a special session that lasted nearly two hours. This meeting was the third encounter for board members and a small group of teachers and parents who opposed the proposed calendar for the 2008-09 school year. The onset of this process began during a public hearing held April 10 when board members rejected the proposed "early start" calendar after listening to comments from the teacher/parent group. The vote was 4-2 against the calendar. Another session was held April 17 and once again the group voiced opposition to the calendar with an August 13 start date for students. Reviewing components of the issue without resolve, the topic was tabled until Thursday. May 15. During the meeting last week, board mem¬ber Randy Spurlock reported he had surveyed area schools and found all SCA schools, as well as those outside the confer¬ence, had opted for the early start. Spurlock noted other schools were starting August 13, 14 or 15. After discussing options, board members recognized that accommodating the group with an August 21 start date would adversely effect other student groups and parents in the Ava school system. Through the course of deliberations it became apparent moving the first day of school to the third week in August was a decision that would inconvenience athletic groups in middle school and cause scheduling issues for high school students –– two factors that led board members to embrace Dr. Andy Underwood's original observations about the 2008-09 calendar and it's lack of "wiggle room". In the first session, Underwood had advised the board, "the school is required to meet 174 days or 1044 hours, and unfortunately, the calendar format for 2008-09 did not allow for much change or wiggle room". However, throughout the entire process, Underwood also expressed his willingness to fulfill any directive from the board, as long as their choice complied with guidelines the school must follow each year. In a 6-0 vote, with one member abstaining, the board adopted the following calendar for the 2008-09 school year. August 11 – Teachers' meeting at Cabool; August 11 – Open house, 5-7 p.m.; August 12 – Teacher orienta¬tion; August 13 - First day of class; September 1 – No classes, Labor Day; September 22 – No classes, meetings; October 15 – End of first quarter; October 16 – Dismiss 12:40, parent / teacher conferences; October 17 – No classes; November 26-28 - No classes, Thanksgiving Break; December 19 – End of first semester; Dec. 20 – Jan. 4 – No classes, Christmas Break; January 5 – Semester Begins; January 19 – No classes, Martin Luther King Birthday; February 13 – No classes, Teacher Workshop (Ava); February 16 – No classes, President's Day; March 6 – End of third quarter; March 10 – Parent / teacher conferences; March 12-16 – No classes, Spring Break; April 10 – No classes, Easter Break; May 14 – Last day of class, Dismiss at 12:40; Make-up Days 1. January 19 2. March 16 3. March 12 4. March 13 5. May 15 6. May 18 7. May 19 8. May 20 The board did not select a date for graduation at this time. Board members voting for the calendar were Rick Ritter, Bill Philpott, Jeff Davis, Don Scrivner, Judy Lovan and Randy Spurlock, Board member Randy Ross was in attendance, but abstained from the vote. The school board meets again on Thursday (tonight) and will transact regular business for the month.