Missouri lawmaker proposes to excuse winter storm days

Wes Duplantier, Associated Press

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Skies are clear and snow has stopped falling across most of the state, but now Missouri school districts are trying to figure out how to reschedule days lost to the winter storm that swept through the state several weeks ago.

One Missouri lawmaker wants to excuse schools from making up the days missed due to weather from Jan. 31 to Feb. 4 so that schools do not need to cut into their spring breaks or push back their summer holiday.

“I consider it a compromise,” said sponsoring Rep. Joe Aull, D-Marshall. “I think make-ups are important. I think attending a good number of days is important. But I think you have to decide, where do we get to that level where it’s counterproductive?”

Aull, a former school superintendent and administrator, said he wants the bill to be passed by early March so that schools can re-work their schedules quickly. The bill would take effect when Gov. Jay Nixon signs it instead of in August when many laws take effect.

Missouri law requires that students be in class for at least 174 days for a school to receive all of its state funding. Under that law, schools must make up the first six days that are cancelled because of inclement weather if missing those days puts the school under the 174-day minimum. After that, schools are required to make up one-half of the days that are missed, up to eight snow days.

Schools do not need to make up any missed days after that — even if students would be in class for fewer than 174 days.

However, many school districts already include six possible snow days in the calendars they set at the beginning of the year. That way, they still have days to spare if it snows. In other words, many schools schedule 180 days of class.

Aull wants to excuse all the school days missed when Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency.

Without that change, some schools might need to hold classes into late May or early June.

David Luther, a spokesman for Jefferson City Public Schools, said the district has had nine snow days, which includes the week a storm dropped about 18 inches of snow in the capital city.

Luther said the district already schedules the first six days that must be made up into the calendar at the start of the year. But for the other two days that need to be made up, he said the district is considering holding class on Good Friday or after Memorial Day.

Luther said finishing after Memorial Day could cut into the summer plans for teachers and students’ families.

“Coming back one day after Memorial Day is not very productive,” he said.

Ron Lankford, a deputy commissioner for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said the snow has caused problems for schools.

“School districts think in the best interest of safety, and this storm was such it wasn’t an argument about whether the roads were too slick, you just had roads you couldn’t get through,“ said Lankford to members of The Associated Press and the Missouri Press Association at their annual Capitol media event this past week. “So school districts will have to try to wrestle with trying to make it up.”

Aull filed his legislation this past week and claims support from about a dozen Republican lawmakers.

“This is not a Democratic or Republican issue,” Aull said. “This is everyone thinking about how we can help the schools out.”

Snow days bill is HB471

More like this story

rodinman 2 years, 3 months ago

Keep with the current law -- require the schools to make up the days. Prudent planning would include the possibility of snow days.

JMO 2 years, 3 months ago

While I agree they should make up the snow days, I have to agree that having school on May 31 is, well, kinda silly. Not that much is ever actually accomplished on the last day of school, but how many people just won't even send their kids that day? Why not take a day off spring break or one of the other holidays? For that matter, the "earned day off" that always follows parent-teacher conferences could be shifted to the 31st of May. That day off is this week for this term, but there should be one next term too.

JCLifer 2 years, 3 months ago

I recall as a kid we went to school several saturdays. What's wrong with making them up by throwing in a few saturdays?

pegassuss2525 2 years, 3 months ago

The school calendar should be fluid. There's always the chance of weather causing cancellations. We always knew there was a possibility holidays and breaks would be used to make up days. If you "forgive" the days lost, you are hurting our children.

jeffcitygirl 2 years, 3 months ago

Personally I wish they'd get with the times and move the school year to start AFTER labor day instead of what seems to be earlier and earlier in August, when it's still the heat of the summer, pools are still open, etc. Yes you don't get out til June but neither does the majority of the rest of the country. I know this has nothing to do with snow days. I do agree that they should be made up and not excused, our kids need every day in school they can get. Have you looked at a teenager's facebook page lately? Or read something they have written? About 75% of them to me seem completely illiterate and a bit simpleminded. Dumbing down of America simply keeps expanding.

rmsberengaria 2 years, 3 months ago

jeffcitygirl you are absolutely correct. Any younger person I talk to can barely tell you who are neighbor to the North is or to the South. They have absolutely no clue of how Government works. Ask them who we gained our Independence from and you get this look.....then........I don't know. If it was before...I was born then who cares!

sillyrabbit 2 years, 3 months ago

jeffcitygirl you are absolutely incorrect. And to boot you even gave the perfect example in Facebook. The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerburg, dropped out of Harvard and now has a net worth valued at over $25,000,000,000. That's with 9 zeroes. All because he had an idea and the drive. The drive is what begets success, not schools harboring teachers who were C students themselves and this was the best job they could get in life.

rmsberengaria 2 years, 3 months ago

Good thought sillyrabbit. Look what Bill Gates created he also dropped out of college. It takes an idea and drive and college for this type of person is just something in the way! For others college is important it is a matter of choice. :)

pegassuss2525 2 years, 3 months ago

It also takes parents who take an interest in their children's lives and helping them learn. Not doing it all for them or allowing them to copy or slide by.

nunyabidness 2 years, 3 months ago

Zuckerburg and Gates are two people out of...what's America's population? 300 million? Not really a representative example.

rmsberengaria 2 years, 3 months ago

Come on this is only a representative example of the most recognized. there are hundreds of thousands that have created business's or followed their dreams without a degree. Get real! Yes, we all know college is a great thing but not everyone can be or needs to be a college graduate. Actually the topic was High School graduates.

pegassuss2525 2 years, 3 months ago

Actually some of the schools in northern Missouri start school prior to labor day the same week that Jeff City does. They start at the beginning of the week though and their calendars are fluid. If they need to take a holiday or spring break for make up days, they do. They get out when Jeff was originally scheduled to let out down here. If you keep the schedule fluid, then you can do this. I would much rather the children start in August then go into June. August is the end of Summer, it's winding down.

jeffcitygirl 2 years, 3 months ago

I disagree that August is really the "end" of summer. Labor day weekend lots of people are going camping and on vacations still. It would be nice to be able to incorporate a 3 day weekend from work into a weeks vacation but we can never do that because the school insists on starting so early. At the middle to end of August it's still usually over 90 degrees and warm until much later in September.

pegassuss2525 2 years, 3 months ago

We tried the starting after labor day and the school year went past Memorial day. If people want to take the week for vacation & then they can. The children will just need to make up the work they missed. Just like those that take off early for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

JCLifer 2 years, 3 months ago

Why don't our schools get with it and switch to a year round schedule? There could be three semesters a year, with at least three two-week breaks between each semester, with another week for Christmas and all the holidays.

Our schools are failing our students and our country. It is time to make attending school a priority, and it is time to get our students to learn some rigorous academics, develop personally, and obtain life and job skills.

Being 26th behind in student achievement is not working out well for the United States. We need to reclaim our spot at least in the top 10.

JCLifer 2 years, 3 months ago

One thing for sure, Representative Aul, who was a former superintendent and administrator seems to have the interests of Missouri students as a very low priority by sponsoring legislation to allow districts to shorten the already too-short school year even more.

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