by Kendra Appleby and Kate McCormick
Henrico County Public Schools has changed its calendar for the current school year and its bell schedule for next year. A proposal to begin school before Labor Day is also being considered.
The School Board voted in March to add two vacation days for all staff members and students on Friday, April 6, and Friday, May 25.
Mychael Dickerson, Executive Director of Communications and Community Outreach, said the school system had excess days built in for inclement weather.
He said the School Board chose to use those days for vacation as a bonus to students and staff.
“The leadership team and School Board looked at the schedule and wanted to see if they could give a morale boost for students and faculty,” Mr. Dickerson said. “This is a one-time deal that we looked at.”
Principal Tracie Omohundro said the response has been positive.
“Everyone seems to be excited about the extra days,” Mrs. Omohundro said.
The School Board also voted in March to change next year’s daily bell schedule. Starting in the fall, elementary schools will be split into two groups with different start times, and they will add 15 minutes to their daily schedule. Also, middle schools will subtract 10 minutes from their daily schedule, and high schools will subtract five minutes.
According to Mr. Dickerson, the schedule change will help with transportation issues.
“We realized that our on-time bus arrival rates were not where we want them to be at any level of our schools, so with the new times, students should be able to make it to school on time for the instruction day,” Mr. Dickerson said.
Mrs. Omohundro said the bell schedule changes will help Varina.
“This will help significantly with the transportation issues we face in the Varina district,” Mrs. Omohundro said.
The county has also asked the Department of Education for a waiver to allow it to begin school two weeks earlier in August.
“Generally what we are asking for is the ability to have the option to start the school year prior to Labor Day,” Mr. Dickerson said. “We believe starting before Labor Day would better allow us to give more instructional times before SOLs and other testing.”
Coordinator of Assessment and Remediation Paige Lasky said the change could give students and faculty more time to prepare for spring tests.
“SOLs are more rigorous. The additional time will allow for the teacher to not teach to the test but allow for students to do activities and assignments that will enhance their learning,” Mrs. Lasky said.
Mrs. Omohundro said she welcomes the possible change.
“As a high school principal, I see the significant benefit for our AP students,” Mrs. Omohundro said.
Mathematics teacher Keith Stainker, who has taught at Varina for 30 years, said he supports the change because there is too much time left after SOLs.
“Once the Memorial Day holiday is here, I think students just pretty much shut down,” Mr. Stainker said.
Some students who have held summer jobs at places like Kings Dominion said the change could affect their wallets.
“You would only have the weekend to work, and it would cut into a lot of time you could have been making money,” senior Elizabeth Bordonie said.
If the county receives the innovation waiver that it has requested, Mr. Dickerson said the school system would consult the community before making the calendar change.
He said the earliest the change could be implemented is the 2013-14 school year.
“We’re not asking that we definitely be allowed to do it,” Mr. Dickerson said. “We’re asking for the opportunity to look at doing it.”
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