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Central academic calendar, length of school days discussed at meeting

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By Pam Reinig, Times-Register

 

The Central Community School Board last week passed an academic calendar that will give students a spring break and a Good Friday holiday. In addition, the school day will change slightly with a 3:15 p.m. dismissal. Classes currently end at 3:30 p.m.

 

A number of parents spoke at the meeting after some confusion over the 2021-2022 calendar. One option under consideration called for classes on Good Friday with a vacation day the following Monday. Parents who opposed the proposal spoke of the need for their youngsters to participate in church activities on Good Friday.

 

The return of the week-long spring break received strong support in the draft calendar proposal and was unanimously supported by the board. According to Central Superintendent Nick Trenkamp, the break was dropped after state law changed the start of the school year to no earlier than Aug. 23. It was added, in part, because “spring fever” behaviors in students are curbed by offering more breaks.

 

Trimming the school day by 15 minutes sparked some conversation. One board member expressed concern after extrapolating those 15 minutes over the entire school year. Trenkamp noted that, even with the earlier dismissal time, Central students receive considerably more instructional hours than the state requires. The state mandates 1,080 hours of instruction; the new calendar includes 1,128 hours.

 

“The hours aren’t that much different than previous years, and we believe by having extra time for our teachers to collaborate, instruction will be more effective, and we can do a better job of tracking students who need extra help,” Trenkamp said.

 

The 2021-2022 school year begins Aug. 23 and ends June 1, 2022.

 

The board will need to amend the current school year calendar at its next meeting. Only two of the school’s six snow days have been made up, so the board will need to decide what to do about the remaining four days.

 

Also at the meeting, board members received an update on two projects. There will be a mandatory pre-bid meeting April 1 for contractors interested in the classroom renovation project. Bids will be opened April 13 and the board will then determine whether or not to move forward with the project. If approved, it is hoped that work can be completed over the summer months.

 

There was also discussion on the playground project. Specifically, the board considered the cost of wood chips versus rubber squares. Wood chips are considerably cheaper but need to be replenished regularly. Rubber squares are more durable and easier to clean. The ones on the preschool playground have been in place for more than a decade, for example. Final decisions on the playground will be made after the board receives bids for the classroom project. 

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