Parents of public school students likely need flexibility about June family getaways this year. Winter storms shut many districts more days than usual, which means makeup day before summer vacation in order to qualify for full state aid.
Snow days cut into the state requirement for 170 days of instruction and 1,098 hours of classes. (Facebook photo/Beth Mirabito)
Bridge magazine waves an early alert in a report by freelancer Ted Roelofs:
Michigan Department of Education spokesman William Disessa said the department does not track the number of snow days taken by districts. But based on media reports and calls, he added: “I can safely say that a lot districts have exceeded or reached their six-day limit.”
Michigan currently requires school districts to meet two attendance standards to receive state aid: Schools must offer 170 days of instruction, and 1,098 hours of classes. . . .
Monroe Public Schools, southwest of Detroit, has closed 12 days. Many more are at the limit, leading to a debate among some districts, administrators and the state Department of Education over whether to add additional school days, or find other solutions.
Some argue that districts should have the option of adding minutes to remaining school days so districts aren’t forced to extend the school year.
Bridge speaks with a mid-Michigan legislator, Rep. Phil Potvin, R-Cadillac, who introduced a bill this month to let districts add at least 30 minutes to each day to make up for lost days.
Each day added in June, Potvin noted, raises district expenses for transportation and other costs.
“You are talking about some money here. Anything we can do to keep more dollars in classrooms just makes more sense.”
State Superintendent Mike Flanagan and the Michigan Board of Education dislike that approach. “Adding minutes onto the end of a day won’t provide the full instruction that students missed on the snow days, Flanaged says in a statement quoted by Bridge.
"When many nations are having their students spend 200 days or more in school, we can’t be moving in the opposite direction. Michigan students shouldn’t be shortchanged because of the weather.”
