By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Next year’s proposed calendar for Bowling Green City Schools has some good news and some bad news.
The good news – students’ quarters and testing periods won’t be broken up by long vacations.
The bad news – students’ summer will be cut shorter than usual to make that happen.
Long gone are the days when school started after Labor Day. Now districts feel the pressure to squeeze in a couple weeks of classes before September rolls around.
Bowling Green Superintendent Francis Scruci presented the proposed school calendar Tuesday evening to the board of education. The schedule calls for classes to start on Aug. 15. By starting early, students will be able to complete two full quarters before heading off for Christmas break.
According to Scruci, teachers and students then won’t have to spend the first couple weeks in January refreshing their memories of what they learned in December.
“We can’t afford that anymore,” Scruci said.
Spring break will then fall on the first full week of March. That means the vacation time won’t get in the way of school testing, he said.
Scruci realizes the mid-August start to the school year may not be popular with some.
“Granted, that is early,” he said. But the early start will also mean an early end to the school year on May 23 – as long as the district doesn’t exceed its snow calamity days.
The early exit in May could give BG students a better opportunity to compete for summer jobs, the superintendent added.
School board member Ed Whipple voiced his support for the school calendar changes. “I think the testing issue is critical,” he said.
Whipple also noted that the earlier spring break for the school district would be helpful to many families since it would then align with the break at Bowling Green State University. “They will be doing the happy dance,” he said.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the board:
- Heard a presentation from Jacob Kielmeyer, a member of the DECA program about his project that won first place at the district level. A story will appear later this week on his project.
- Learned 43 of 50 DECA students qualified for a state tournament.
- Welcomed 18 international educators who are studying at BGSU.
- Learned drama club students will be attending the state thespian conference and competition.
- Heard Model UN members were going to a conference at Ohio State University.
- Thanked Steve and Rhonda Melchi for their donation of $500 for the “Believe” scholarship.
