Waiver approved for shortened school year
By Janelle Randazza
PEABODY – Administrators and School Committee members can breathe a sigh of relief and Peabody Veterans Memorial High School students can jump for joy. In a letter received February 16, the Massachusetts Department of Education approved a waiver request submitted by Superintendent of Schools Nadine Binkley, which will shorten the number of days Peabody high school students must attend classes by one.
Binkley submitted the request to the DOE after the January 26 hot-water heater malfunction, which sent students home less than an hour and a half into the school day. The malfunction sent scalding water through cold water pipes and required administrators to close the school by 9:30 a.m. Despite an early closing, the district was still responsible for bus, staff, and teacher pay. According to Binkley, the teachers’ union would expect additional compensation for staff being required to work for one more day than their contract calls for.
To negotiate an additional day into the school year would have added further to the district’s already strained financial situation, which is currently at a $400,000 deficit. Binkley could not give a real estimate of how much it would have cost to hold an additional full day of school, but she and School Committee member Beverley Griffin Dunne both agreed it would have been significant.
“We hadn’t determined exactly what it would cost the district, because that would require us to enter into discussions with the unions, but it would have been quite a burden,” said Binkley.
According to both Binkley and Dunne a waiver was the school’s only option. The school, which could have held classes in lieu of a professional development day, had used all of those days prior to January 26.
“The problem is that they are paid for 185 days, which includes three full professional development days and two administrative days. Our school year is scheduled to end on June 19, so it’s not a matter of not having time, it’s completely a matter of finance,” said Binkley.
Binkley said that what made Commissioner of Education David Driscoll consider and ultimately approve the waiver request was the school’s ability to meet the annual Time On Learning requirement of 990 hours. Even with the school year shortened to 179 school days, PVMHS students will be receiving 992 hours of structured learning time.
“We feel confident that the students are still getting all of the hours required by state law in structured learning time and this will certainly save the city a good deal of money,” said Binkley, “I am grateful to Driscoll for approving this.”
PEABODY – Administrators and School Committee members can breathe a sigh of relief and Peabody Veterans Memorial High School students can jump for joy. In a letter received February 16, the Massachusetts Department of Education approved a waiver request submitted by Superintendent of Schools Nadine Binkley, which will shorten the number of days Peabody high school students must attend classes by one.
Binkley submitted the request to the DOE after the January 26 hot-water heater malfunction, which sent students home less than an hour and a half into the school day. The malfunction sent scalding water through cold water pipes and required administrators to close the school by 9:30 a.m. Despite an early closing, the district was still responsible for bus, staff, and teacher pay. According to Binkley, the teachers’ union would expect additional compensation for staff being required to work for one more day than their contract calls for.
To negotiate an additional day into the school year would have added further to the district’s already strained financial situation, which is currently at a $400,000 deficit. Binkley could not give a real estimate of how much it would have cost to hold an additional full day of school, but she and School Committee member Beverley Griffin Dunne both agreed it would have been significant.
“We hadn’t determined exactly what it would cost the district, because that would require us to enter into discussions with the unions, but it would have been quite a burden,” said Binkley.
According to both Binkley and Dunne a waiver was the school’s only option. The school, which could have held classes in lieu of a professional development day, had used all of those days prior to January 26.
“The problem is that they are paid for 185 days, which includes three full professional development days and two administrative days. Our school year is scheduled to end on June 19, so it’s not a matter of not having time, it’s completely a matter of finance,” said Binkley.
Binkley said that what made Commissioner of Education David Driscoll consider and ultimately approve the waiver request was the school’s ability to meet the annual Time On Learning requirement of 990 hours. Even with the school year shortened to 179 school days, PVMHS students will be receiving 992 hours of structured learning time.
“We feel confident that the students are still getting all of the hours required by state law in structured learning time and this will certainly save the city a good deal of money,” said Binkley, “I am grateful to Driscoll for approving this.”
posted by Janelle at 11:49 AM
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