Small Group of York Parents Voice Concerns About Longer School Day

By Amber Lester Thursday, June 03, 2010

York County school officials are recommending students spend more time in class, but parents at an informational meeting Wednesday weren’t convinced.

York administrators met with a group of about 13 parents at Grafton Middle School to discuss a proposal to lengthen the division’s school days in the 2011-12 school year. The school board will review the proposal at a work session at 6 p.m. Monday.

In a presentation at the board’s May 24 meeting, Chief Academic Officer Lucia Sebastian recommended 10 minutes be added to the elementary school day and 12 to 15 minutes be added to the middle and high school days.

The change would be in response to a recommendation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In March 2007, the association’s accreditation team suggested the school examine the adequacy of its instructional time. With its current schedule, York meets the Virginia Department of Education’s requirements that all schools have a minimum of 990 hours of instruction and high school credit-bearing classes clock 140 hours.

An informal study of Virginia schools showed York has a shorter school day than most divisions in the state. The survey, which tallied results from 88 of the state’s 132 divisions, found elementary students spend an average of six hours and 38 minutes at school; middle school students spend an average of six hours and 34 minutes at school; and high school students spend an average of six hours and 45 minutes at school.

By comparison, York County elementary students spent six hours and 26 minutes at school, while middle and high school students spend an average of six hours and 27 minutes at school. In the rest of the region, school days are between 13 and 17 minutes longer.

That difference became an issue earlier this year when York schools had to schedule make-up dates following closures for inclement weather during the November Nor’easter and snowy winter. Williamsburg-James City County schools missed days, as well, but because its students attend school for seven hours, the division had met the state’s requirements for hours without needing a make-up day.

While the school board seemed to favor the proposal at its May 24 meeting, parents attending Wednesday’s meeting seemed unconvinced the extra time is necessary. Many parents asked why the division was considering the change, and Superintendent Eric Williams repeatedly said that although the division has a reputation for good schools, it wants to keep moving forward.

“This is part of ongoing efforts to say, ‘What can we do to improve?’” he said, later adding that improvement is a “neverending quest” for the division.

Elementary teachers were asked how they would use any extra time and whether their workloads could be reduced. They had mixed reactions; many told the administration the time could be used for review, extra lessons or more time to answer questions, but were afraid they would lose valuable planning time. According to the proposal, the instructional time would increase, but the contractual time for employees would not.

Joy Cipriano, president of the York County Parent-Teacher Association, was concerned about adding instructional time without any promise of extra compensation for teachers, who have entered a second year without salary increases. Williams said she had a legitimate point, but that the division had to move forward despite the poor economy. He pledged, however, to protect the planning time teachers need before and during school, and Sebastian said the principals would try to have fewer meetings that cut into planning time and try to share more information through e-mail.

Parents of elementary students were most concerned about children being asked to sit still for longer. Several parents said they’d rather see the extra time devoted to more recess or physical activity. “I would be all about it if it will be used to get kids moving,” Cipriano said, prompting nods of agreement from parents in the audience.

Williams said physical activity could be one of the uses for the additional time, but the lengthening of the day was focused toward giving more time to teach to the curriculum.

Another parent suggested the school ignore the length of the other school days in the region and state, instead looking at the length of school days at the best national and international schools. Williams said some schools in the world have more school days in the year or days that are longer by hours. “We get the general sense that yes, there are values in additional time,” he said. “That being said, there’s a difference between the findings in the literature and the practical application.”