Jessica Pope
VALDOSTA — Beginning today, all students in the Valdosta City School System will receive an extra 10 minutes of instructional time.
On Jan. 25, as mandated by Gov. Sonny Perdue, the Valdosta Board of Education voted to furlough faculty and staff three days and extend the school day by 10 minutes to account for the loss of instructional time.
Basically, the school system will be closed on Feb. 16 and will end the school year two days early, on May 21 as opposed to May 25. Graduation will be held on May 21, and teachers will do in-service days on May 24 and 25, instead of May 26 and 27, which are now furlough days.
Because the state requires students under the age of 16 to attend school 180 days for 5.5 hours per day, the system was forced to extend the school day by 10 minutes. Valdosta High School will now release students at 2:40 p.m. each day, according to a Jan. 29 letter to parents from Superintendent Dr. William “Bill” O. Cason. Valdosta and Newbern middle schools will release students at 3:20 p.m., and Sallas-Mahone, S.L. Mason, W.G. Nunn, J.L. Lomax and Southeast elementary schools will release students at 3:40 p.m. Cason also wrote, “We intend to make full use of the added 10 minutes of the school day to benefit your child.” He encouraged those with questions to call their child’s principal.
As board member Jeena Beeland, at-large district, noted in an e-mail to some school system parents, this is all due to the state being forced to make more cuts to its budget.
