Caddo starts school with longer days and shorter school year

Caddo school students started back to school Aug. 15, and their welcome back present was a longer school day – an extra 30 minutes of class.

The “good news” for students is that the Caddo 2016-2017 school year will be 10 days shorter than last year; the last day of school will be May 19. How all this plays out for students, parents, teachers and school staff are questions yet to be answered.

The change in the school calendar was approved without much fanfare – or parental input – in December of last year. School officials advised the school board that the total number of instructional minutes would be increased over the 2015-2016 school year despite less school days. Additionally, the board was advised that the extra 30 minutes per school day allowed more flexibility in class scheduling. Part of the impetus for the longer school day was the need to have seven periods for high school students to earn needed graduation credits.

No doubt economics was also a big factor in the push by the Goree administration – although the total impact was not openly discussed. Ten less school days means less operating costs for all the schools with reductions in payroll for hourly workers (like cafeteria staff and others), heating and cooling costs and over a longer summer break, saying that 10 less teacher-student “contact days” is detrimental to the learning process. Or put another way, Caddo students will have 10 more days to forget what they learned during the summer break.

The longer school day will also affect the myriad of after school activities from sports to Scouts and after-school tutoring programs. Additionally, all those students going to doctors, dentists and orthodontists will have 30 minutes less time to do so after school; thus, parents will be more time-pressed to handle all those after-school events for their children. This reality will soon be a scheduling factor for all concerned.

On a positive note, the longer day should mean less time home alone for “latch key” children who must wait for parents to come home. The longer school day may mean less daycare costs for working parent households during the school year; however, any savings may be offset by 10 less school days. And for students who have summer jobs, they may get more working days between the end of the school year and the next year start-up date.

The school board traditionally sets the calendar for the upcoming school year in December. Thus, there will only student transportation costs (less days for bus drivers, fuel charges and bus wear and tear). Teacher pay remains the same; many teachers may be rejoicing over 10 less “work days.”

Off the record, many educators question if the longer day is in the best interests of the students. Most agree that the “quality focus time” of students peaks at 45 minutes; thus, adding an additional five minutes to a class will not prove to be beneficial from a time perspective. They also question student retention be four months of the longer school day experiment before the 2017-2018 school year/class times will be voted upon by Caddo’s 12-member school board. Hopefully, parents and PTAs will register their thoughts early and often as they become more aware of how the extra 30-minute school day affects their children – both during and after the school day.

John E. Settle Jr. is an attorney who has practiced in Shreveport- Bossier since 1977. His columns have appeared in local publications for more than 15 years. He can be reached at 742-5513 or John@ settlelawfirm.com.