School calendar finalized: Bobby Ray to continue using 45-15 schedule
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Bobby Ray Elementary, which for the past two years has operated under a 45-15 alternative calendar, will continue to do so next year.
Board members approved an Aug. 11 start date in order to allow the first semester of the school year to end by Christmas break, a move they say is wanted by the public, as well as some teachers and county principals. Teacher’s union officials, citing community feeling against an early start, had favored starting a week later.
“People want the semester to end before Christmas, but they don’t want to start before Aug. 11,” said school board member Mike Holland. “You can’t have both. It’s impossible.”
The calendar, passed tentatively last month, underwent several changes before final adoption Thursday. Chief among these changes was the reinstatement of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The holiday was first observed by the system two years ago, along with Memorial Day.
Since both holidays were approved at the same time, it was Holland’s argument the King holiday should not be observed because the school year will end May 24, several days before Memorial Day, meaning that holiday would no longer be observed during the school year.
Approximately a dozen African-Americans were present at the meeting to oppose removing the King holiday from the calendar.
In other moves, the school board made Thanksgiving a three-day break (instead of five days). The board also kept the last day of school before Christmas break as an abbreviated day and kept spring break in March instead of moving it to April as discussed.
The board did not, however, approve a teacher’s union request to add three extra teacher in-service days to the calendar. Additionally, the board added the Presidents’ Day holiday to the calendar.
A complete 2003-2004 school calendar will be published in a future edition of the Standard.
The following teachers were recently granted tenure by the Warren County Board of Education:
Towanna Bigford
Amanda Blankenship
Daphne Campbell
Nicole Crouch
Kim Curtis
Christy Davenport
Nicole Douglas
Andy Evans
Amanda Gibbs
Stephanie Glenn
Doug Keil
Amanda Lance
Teresa Lance
Chad McGee
Keri McGiboney
Larry McIntosh
Bryan Morgan
Lisa Patton
Melissa Perkins
Tonya Rains
Angie Sherrill
Patti Smith
Stacy Smith
Sabrina Stafford
Jeff Watson
Saundra Williams
Kim Woods