With no half days for schools next year, how are conferences and meetings going to occur?

By Kirk Mason (mason@wsbt.com)

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By WSBT News1

Story Created: Apr 15, 2009 at 11:39 AM EST

Story Updated: Apr 15, 2009 at 2:41 PM EST

The governor of Indiana is pushing a plan to change the rules for schools across the state. It would require them to have 180 full days. Half days wouldn't count.

Tyler Grathen of Elkhart asked a Good Question: “If Gov. Daniels is taking away the half days next year, how are conferences and meetings going to occur?

WSBT's Kirk Mason found out South Bend already canceled the meetings for next school year. Others are still hoping for a change.

Daniels wants students in the classroom longer. He believes that's a key to success. His superintendent of schools, Tony Bennett, announced earlier this year the state's plan to require schools to have 180 full days.

That would put some school corporations under more pressure when deciding whether to delay for two hours on snowy and foggy mornings.

But snow is not what's on the minds of many educators.

A Penn-Harris-Madison school corporation spokesperson said parent involvement and teacher training are two keys to student success. And if the governor's plan goes into effect, P-H-M would have to go back to its teachers’ union and ask for more days to keep current levels of teacher training and parent conferences.

The school corporation would have to pay more, and in the middle of this recession it may be tougher to find those tax dollars.

Indiana's House passed a plan that would go against the governor's new requirements, but the Republican-controlled Senate may not go along. And the governor's spokesperson re-iterated his intention to veto anything that goes against the 180 full day plan, which would seem to make it almost a foregone conclusion.

P-H-M has already set its calendar for next year, so they would have to change it under the governor's proposal, but they haven't done it yet.

South Bend already changed its schedule, so as of now there will be no teacher training days or parent-teacher conferences.

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