Sound Politics: Bill Would Excuse Schools From Bad Weather-Day Make-Ups

January 24, 2007

Bill Would Excuse Schools From Bad Weather-Day Make-Ups

State Senate Bill 5395 would let Washington school districts off the hook for 2006-07 instructional days missed due to bad weather, which in the last few months have ranged from three or four to ten, depending on location. It would set a bad precedent, as a Tacoma News Tribune editorial notes. Yet it perversely dovetails with a now-likely delay in implementing state testing requirements for graduation, and approval of dumbed-down "alternative" state graduation tests. We're supposed to believe meeting the 1,000 hour per year instructional requirement doesn't matter, but more money does? Perhaps the bill is best read as an unintended admission that lacking real school choice, what goes on in Washington K-12 public schools just doesn't matter that much anymore. A hearing on SB 5395 is currently scheduled for 8 a.m., Weds. Jan. 31 before the Senate Committee on Early Learning and K-12 Education. Here is a commitee roster with links to a legislative page for each member, and therein, e-mail links to their offices. Let them know what you think.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at January 24, 2007 05:22 PM | Email This

Comments

1. This is an amazing opportunity to resolve several key issues:
1. Teachers feeling they are underpaid.
2. The WASL
3. Annual school hours
4. Funding education in Washington State.

If we don't have a fixed number of days for students to attend, let's just have school 3 months out of the year and have 9 months off. When you amortize $36,000 over 90 days, the teachers make $12,000 a month. And there's no concern for the WASL as the kids will never pass it anyway. Education will be fully funded regardless of the number of days per year even if it snows. And finally, people can schedule family vacations 9 out of 12 months. It's a win, win.

Posted by: Walters on January 24, 2007 06:07 PM

2. If nothing else happens my kids will be out on June 22nd.

Several parents sent letters requesting the cancel mid-winter break. The teachers knocked this one down.

Posted by: Vince on January 24, 2007 06:35 PM

3. I know it is frustrating for parents that have planned vacations, but I also feel that class time is important, and that taxpayers are getting shortchanged if the days aren't made up.

I hope that they try to convert the half-days into full days and maybe also try and convert some of the Fridays (teacher service days) into regular school days.

Just my two cents.

Posted by: Agent99 on January 24, 2007 07:40 PM

4. Issaquah school district is using 4 days of mid-winter break and one day of professional day to make up some of the missed days, but I am wondering if the teachers are paid overtime by this. I know that there is some kind of a deal between the district and the union.

Posted by: C. Oh on January 24, 2007 08:57 PM

5. OK, the Riverview District missed 10 days so far this year due to a flood, a wind storm, an extended power outage, and multiple snow events. Some of these were so-called 100 year storms. School would have gone to July 5 if they had not cancelled mid-winter break.

If districts can cancel some half days and get back up to 1000 hours, than this should be sufficient to make up the lost time. Why do we need the extra overhead of lunch, recess, and gym class by adding entire days in July?

Those who think every last day of school time is precious have obviously NOT SET FOOT in our public schools lately. If the kids are still going to school in July, they are NOT learning anything - it is too hot (no A/C in many schools) and the kids are just plain burnt out. The teachers will spend those days playing movies like Nacho Libre and Curious George (yes, my 11 year old daughter was subjected to these already this school year).

Posted by: Concerned Parent on January 24, 2007 09:12 PM

6. Simply unreal. Walters' snark really nailed it. Kids can't pass the WASL now, Gregoire wants to extend the deadline, and kids ALREADY are out of school for the most ridiculous crap. Field trips to ski resorts and ice skating competitions? How is THAT educational? Now they don't even want to make up missed days for weather? It's all for the teachers' convenience, as if they don't have enough time off as it is!! Overpaid, underworked. I'm sick of paying for this s--t.

Posted by: FlyingFingers on January 24, 2007 09:16 PM

7. Am I the only one who thinks "professional days" for teacher are worth a giggle? Who else gets paid for this sort of thing? More union magic, I guess.

Posted by: thatcher on January 24, 2007 09:57 PM

8. Short and to the point: Without competition in the education sector, the quality will continue to decrease. The old soviet system was a monopoly and the elite voted with their feet regarding consumer goods. They shopped in the West. Private school enrollment and homeschooling will continue to grow.

Posted by: WVH on January 24, 2007 10:00 PM

9. King County Legislative people are getting more and more power, but I know democrats out here that won't vote for that bill.

Big Question: If they don't hold school do the teachers get paid for those days? If all of a sudden, districts take away 5% of the school days, where would the WEA stand? Teachers aren't going to go for being paid 5% less for the year. Imagine there would be a companion bill to pay the teachers for that lost time.

Posted by: Doug on January 24, 2007 10:04 PM

10. 8: yes.

i'm starting to feel that our public schools are the same as the 2-loaf bread shelves of the Soviets' bakeries. "all's well. Bread available. queue up."

and the elite did what you say. shopped elsewhere. sad. but--we let this happen. voter apathy.

i wonder if my school district will knock off/susbstitute/suspend the 2-full-day native studies indoctrination or scrap it for early WA settlers' histories? math, reading or potlatch? tough choices. will the AIDS curricula be suspended/dropped?

Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on January 24, 2007 10:42 PM

11. Make the kids stay in school the extra days. They obviously need as much education as possible. If the teachers need to be paid for the extra days, Al Gore should foot the bill. After all, this was all caused by Global Warming.

Posted by: Jeff B. on January 24, 2007 10:43 PM

12. Joe Zarelli (R-SW WA) is a sponsor of this bill.

At first blush, Joe has lost his mind to sponsor this disgusting giveaway-giveaway in all senses of the word.

At second blush, Joe might be brilliant: accelerate the unraveling of public education and and support of the teacher's unions.

Conclusion: Pass the Bill!!

Give them more rope with which to hang themselves.

Posted by: Hank on January 25, 2007 06:39 AM

13. I know in our school district, the teachers had several (4) "professional" days (on Fridays) that will be cut. That left 1 day they are going to ask a waiver on.

As an aside, this district closed school when all the other schools were on 2 hour late schedules.

The wife and I are jumping up and down cheering the elimination of "professional" days on Fridays.

Posted by: swatter on January 25, 2007 07:02 AM

14. It looks like Bellevue is taking the worst solution by taking two days out of spring break. It seems that too many teachers had plane tickets during mid-winter break, so of course we couldn't make up the days then.

The teachers union is once again the destructive force. They refuse to reinstate the full 8 days missed. Bellevue will apply for the waiver of three days missed because of "natural disaster".

This could have easily been made up during mid winter break, as proposed by the district.

Posted by: janet s on January 25, 2007 07:21 AM

15. And don't forget Gregoire's request for millions of dollars for a 2 week course in the summer to catch up on skills for the WASL.

Posted by: Right said Fred on January 25, 2007 07:48 AM

16. janet, it was a disaster. If the teachers had to give up a couple days, it would be a disaster.

Posted by: swatter on January 25, 2007 08:02 AM

17. Here's a question for the WASL:
Name a month during the school year you have to attend school the whole month without a long weekend.
How about a Bonus question: Name an employer that will give you the same work schedule, benefits and generous vacation package your teachers have been equiping you for, besides the school system.

Posted by: PC on January 25, 2007 08:30 AM

18. How can letting them off possibly hurt. The schools teach students nothing while they are there. They might actually learn something in the real world.

Posted by: swassociates on January 25, 2007 08:43 AM

19. I'm on board with swassociates. What difference does it make how many days they attend school, no learning of any consequence happens there anyway. Personally, I think that we need the schools to get worse faster so that an alternative (read that vouchers and charter schools) will be forced to the fore. Cutting days is a good start. We need to cut a month or two really.

Posted by: G Jiggy on January 25, 2007 10:08 AM

20. swas, sounds like a comment of frustration.

At least in school they open books, read, do fuzzy math, etc. At home they just B&M about what to do with their free time in summer, and in the school year, extra days are spent horsing around.

Posted by: swatter on January 25, 2007 10:10 AM

21. Funny thing; today I got an email from my daughter's private school and the makeup days are all being made up during the rest of the school year. No 'extra' days are even required and the kids lost six full days so far.

Apparently, common sense still reigns supreme in the private school sector.

I swear, if the WEA union can work less and still get paid the same, they will find a way.

Posted by: Lauri on January 25, 2007 10:58 AM

22. Yeah Lauri - my kid's private school has five days built into the schedule at the beginning of the year. The sixth day they are planning on having on Presidents day so as not to extend the school year beyond June 8th.

Its funny how the "It's for the kids" mantra falls by the wayside when the WEA is inconvenienced!

Posted by: Right said Fred on January 25, 2007 11:47 AM

23. How can teachers claim they can't handle make-up days during breaks since they have reservations at resorts or they're booked on flights? Aren't these the same people who scream POVERTY! all the time?

What gives? Good personal budgeting? Gifts? Larceny? Veracity?

Posted by: Tyler Durden on January 25, 2007 11:47 AM

24. ...and "taking work home" (whining) for grading papers etc?

just about everybody & anybody i know in the financial field (even some government jobs) routinely take work home from time to time, has crazy busy season hours or works weekend days--whether admitting it or not. so what's new? not whining, but that's life.

oh--im typing this on a school "early release day" preceeding another day off. sure hope we make up the lost tolerance/diversity class role play games before summer.

i like being the guy "outside the circle" who is made to feel bad.

once, in corporate-dom, i tossed a $20 into the role play "circle" that excluded me, causing a panic, disruption & cheers/hoots of ingenuity.

it pizzed the consultant off, & thwarted her goal of making me feel the excluded Euro-descended heel. ha. ha. however, she still collected her chunky fee after snippy refusals to answer some of my honest diversity challenges. ahhh. social engineering. love it.

Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on January 25, 2007 12:36 PM

25. Tacking makeup days onto the end of the school year is useless - no real learning is done, it becomes just government funded daycare.

I'm not sure if my kids private scholl is doing make up days, they already have extra days built into the schedule that would allow them to meet the hours requirement without makeup days.

Posted by: SouthernRoots on January 25, 2007 01:26 PM