Feedback from more than 1,100 parents and staff will help guide Asheville City Schools administrators as the district develops a plan to keep pace with this winter’s unusual onslaught. “We certainly have to maintain some flexibility as we work through February, March and April”, Superintendent Allen Johnson said on Thursday, “But the input we have received and what seems to be a pretty clear preference for ‘Saturday school’ versus Spring Break is important to the process. Johnson has asked school principals to meet with him and the Leadership Team on February 8 to discuss makeup options.
Asheville City Schools used the Connect-ED parent notification system “interactive” polling feature for the first time on Tuesday evening. Of those individuals who answered the call live, some 54% or 1,056 stakeholders, to be exact, responded instantly by making selections on their phone keypads. The results: 595 (56.3%) indicated a Saturday makeup preference and 343 (32.5%) voted for using one or more days of Spring Break (April 9,8, 7 and/or 6). ‘No preference’ was the response from 118 ( 11.2%) stakeholders.
Eighty-four individuals who received the voicemail message version of the Connect-ED poll responded by calling or emailing the district. Each had a preference. Sixty-three (75%) voted for Saturday school and 21 (25%) for Spring Break.
Also valuable were the comments expressed in the email/voice messages. Samples:
I wasn't crazy about either option, as I don't particularly want to work on Saturday's, and I already have a ticket to visit my son in Denver during spring break. I was wondering, though, if we could make up the days missed by adding 1 and 1/2 hours to the school day. We could dismiss at 4:00 and make up the days as we miss them. -Teacher
Given my many long years in ACS, I have been around long enough to have participated in Saturday School. The following concerns regularly presented themselves:
- Low, low attendance
- High school students with weekend jobs
- Community recreational activities; basketball, indoor soccer, baseball practices, etc.
- Some staff members with weekend jobs (I know ACS is the primary employer but some of our lower paid positions have secondary jobs.)
- Minimal academic benefits (low attendance meant whatever was introduced on Saturday had to be re-taught the following week)
- Short notice (occurred when we went on Saturday of the same week we missed school) -Principal
My vote... to be officially counted in the tally, please, is to go during SPRING BREAK. I think the point about late week weather patterns is a valid one. - a storm on Friday would not allow Saturday make up anyway. Also, it seems like it would be too hard to negotiate everyone's plans on such short notice. If we had a snow day on Monday- most people already have plans for that Saturday that would have to change to accommodate the make-up day. I much prefer just biting the bullet and planning for 2-3 days of school during spring break and just having a long weekend for Easter. -Assistant principal
Would favor Sat school over school during Spring Break. Many people, including myself, already have plans involving plane tickets, rental vacation homes, and other non-refundable expenses during Spring break. Thanks for asking for staff opinions -Teacher
I offer the following recommendations for school make up days. First Priority---Implement a 2-hour delay schedule and extend school day until 5:30 p.m. The 2-hour extension can be used to make up the hours missed when school is cancelled; Second Priority---Implement a 2-hour extension school day until 5:30 p.m. The 2-hour extension can be used to make up the hours missed when school is cancelled; Third Priority----Extend the school year; Fourth Priority----Cancel spring break, one day at a time; Fifth Priority---Last resort, attend school on a Saturday, one Saturday at a time. -Parent
Superintendent Johnson plans to announce a flexible makeup plan next week, one that will deal with the one day missed to date that has not been covered, covers tomorrow, Friday, February, if necessary and offers a plan to deal with any subsequent days missed between now and spring. At he heart of the plan will be the stakeholder input combined with what is best for our students and the learning process as we work through this unusual winter and the remainder of 2009-10.