PARKERSBURG - The last day of school for Wood County will be June 8, though students will only attend half the day.
The Wood County Board of Education Tuesday evening voted to extend the school year to June 8 to make up some of the nine days lost to snow and icy weather this year.
The board unanimously voted to convert June 2-4 and June 7 into instructional days. Students also will attend June 8, but only for half a day as state law requires the school system to provide at least two hours for faculty senate.
Superintendent Bill Niday did not recommend converting April 2, Good Friday, to a half-day instructional day as was previously discussed.
School systems throughout the state have struggled this year to make 180 days of instruction due to several weeks of snow and ice. Though Wood County Schools lost nearly two weeks of classes during the first several months of 2010, other school systems have missed upwards of 20 days or more.
Wood County Schools also saw a high absence rate during two-day instructional weeks prior to Thanksgiving and Christmas.
A recent change in state law will allow school systems some extra flexibility in planning their calendars for the 2010-11 school year. Board member Tad Wilson, who sits on Wood County Schools' calendar committee, said some of the calendar options being prepared for this fall would allow a full week of vacation both at Thanksgiving and for Spring Break and a three-day instructional week before Christmas/Winter Break.
The board tabled discussion of next year's calendar while voting on modifications to this year's calendar. More discussion on the upcoming calendar is expected at the board's next meeting.
