Marsha Reimbold and Patricia Goin
North Judson-San Pierre School Board members raised a question about the balanced calendar during their meeting last night. The proposed calendar moves the start of school to the first of August, adds longer breaks in the fall and spring that can be used for remediation if necessary and ends the school year the first of June. The first semester would still end in December before the two week Christmas break as it presently does.
Board members wondered what the earlier start to the school year would do to high school students who work for Pioneer detassling corn during their summer vacations.
Questions have also been raised about youngsters in 4-H who compete at the Indiana State Fair in August. Superintendent Lynn Johnson says she will talk to the other superintendents in the area about possibly starting school two weeks later and getting out in mid-June. She noted that would push the end of the first semester into January. However, students would still have some time to review lessons before taking final exams.
Extending the year into June would also accommodate the state-mandated I-Read exams, which are given to third graders in March and with re-tests in June. If school is still in session, the corporation could avoid the expense of summer school.
Johnson told the board she’s talked at length with Knox and Oregon-Davis Superintendents A.J. Gappa and Greg Briles. The corporations are part of the same vocational and special education cooperatives and share other resources like occupational therapists, so the superintendents want to make sure their calendars line up as closely as possible.
The North Judson-San Pierre School Board could vote on the balanced calendar at their Nov. 18 meeting. Johnson wants to hear from the public one more time before making a final decision. However a date for another presentation has not been announced.
