PdC school year extended to June 6

By Ted Pennekamp

The Prairie du Chien School District school year will be extended to June 6 this year in a measure to make up for snow days passed unanimously by the Prairie du Chien School Board at its regular meeting Monday night.

District Administrator Robert Smudde said there have been nine days worth of hours of school called off due to inclement weather so far this school year. He said it works out to 430 minutes per day.

Board President Lonnie Achenbach noted that the school calendar for this school year did not have any snow days built into it and now it has become a problem. Smudde agreed, saying, “Our calendar didn’t have any snow days built in and it bit us this year.”

There still may be more inclement weather coming up, but what the board approved Monday night is to have school on March 25 and April 22, as well as June 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Seniors will not be required to attend on June 3-6, and graduation will be held as scheduled on May 26.

“We’re losing three days of instruction,” said Smudde regarding the six days out of nine that will be made up.

In other business, it was noted that the school district received a donation from Mark and Kati Forsythe for 15 high school students to attend University Hospital in Madison for a “Doctor for a Day” program on Jan. 24. It was considered an unbelievable experience for the students.

In further business, the board discussed the possibility of creating a three-year school calendar by which staff members at each of the three schools in the district have input in order to find the best possible solution. Such a calendar would include 180 student contact days and 187.5 teacher days. This was a discussion only and no vote was taken.