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The Coweta County Board of Education will meet in
a called session on Friday, May 14, to discuss the school
system’s calendar for next year.
The Board will consider a change to next year’s school calendar,
including moving the school year’s starting date from Thursday,
August 5 to Monday, August 9.
That change and other minor calendar changes would continue a
180-day school year for students, and offer 187-day contracts
for certified teachers for the 2010-2011 school year.
Bass said that the school system is awaiting final budget
numbers from the state, and is also awaiting action from the
State Board of Education on Thursday of this week that will
allow school boards temporary flexibility in adjusting school
system calendars. “We’re confident they will do that,” he said.
Based on preliminary state budget figures received last week,
Bass told Coweta school board members that “we’re going to be in
good shape” going into the next school year, and that the school
system should avoid personnel layoffs and program cuts.
Bass also informed school board members Tuesday that he and his
staff have begun preparing a 2010-11 school system budget based
on those preliminary state figures, and that he will be ready to
present a tentative budget for the Board’s adoption at the
Board’s June 8 regular meeting. An additional called meeting of
the school board before the end of the current fiscal year on
June 30 would allow for final adoption of next year’s budget.
Bass said that making the changes to the school system’s
2010-2011 year would allow him to begin final preparations of
next year’s budget. Assuming that state officials take the
actions expected this week, Bass said he will present a plan to
the Board on Friday that would:
- Preserve a 180-day instructional year for students.
- Offer a 187-day contract for certified teachers and
other 190-day employees and three fewer days for all other
employees who work more than 190 days. Teaching assistants,
bus drivers and cafeteria workers would not be affected,
because they work the 180 days that students are in session
during the year.
- Move the start date of the next school year from
Thursday, August 5 to Monday August 9. This would
accommodate fewer non-student work days for teachers.
- Make other adjustments to the calendar to accommodate
those changes, including moving the long-weekend fall
holiday from October 15-18 to Columbus Day (Monday and
Tuesday, October 11-12), and extending the fall semester to
end on December 22 (instead of December 17) before letting
out for Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
- Shifting a teacher workday from Monday, January 3 to
June 3 (which would add an extra holiday in January for
employees but would not affect student holidays).
- Bass said that the calendar change would shift
additional teacher workdays into the second semester, which
in turn would give the school board greater flexibility if
state revenues were cut furthe.
Bass noted that the calendar change and adoption of the
expected budget would mean that certified employees would also
see no difference in their annual pay next year, and step raises
would be passed on to eligible certified employees based on
experience.
When the Board meets again Friday morning, Bass said that he
will know if the state has taken the actions he anticipates.
Based on preliminary figures and expectations of what the state
Board of Education will do, however, “I don’t see how we
wouldn’t be able to maintain what we have right now.” |
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