School officials discuss year-round education
Administrators from four Fayette County school districts on Friday discussed alternative school schedules that could include a four-day week, year-round schooling or a combination of the two.
Laurel Highlands School District Superintendent Jesse Wallace said he would like school officials to study both options for future consideration as both an educational boost for children in the county as well as a cost-saving measure for districts.
“I think the culture here says that many may not go for it at first, but when they see the benefits, it just makes sense,” Wallace said.
School officials from Laurel Highlands, Brownsville Area, Albert Gallatin Area and Uniontown Area school districts have been meeting monthly to discuss ways to cut costs through shared resources. At Friday’s meeting, hosted by Laurel Highlands, superintendents and business managers discussed a model school year that allows for six weeks of instruction, then two weeks off in a cycle that would span the entire calendar year.
“I am a big proponent of year-round education,” said Dr. Philip Savini, superintendent of the Brownsville Area district. “Our goal is to strengthen education for our students and cut costs where we can. In this model, you get more bang for your buck.”
Carl Bezjak, superintendent for Albert Gallatin Area, suggested a four-day work week to help control costs. Thomas Colebank of Uniontown Area suggested there may be a way the districts could work to combine both ideas to maximize savings and educational output.
“But we can’t stay at 180 days,” Savini said. “We would have to go to around 240 days each year.”
Administrators agreed to study the proposed ideas further and share information at next month’s meeting.
Also on Friday, officials discussed the heavy price tag districts are faced with for alternative education services. Administrators suggested collaborating on a countywide system, with perhaps a central site for all districts in an attempt to save money.
Other school officials from the departments of buildings and grounds, transportation, special education and curriculum also met Friday in smaller groups to discuss ways districts could share resources in those areas.
Buildings and grounds officials reviewed purchasing procedures and will develop a list of services that may be able to collectively bargain with vendors in the hope of savings. Assistant superintendents and curriculum coordinators explored the value in electronic textbooks, with the use of computerized technology that would offer savings to each district. They also discussed working together to find common textbooks used in each district, with a goal of approaching vendors for a countywide price.
Special education and human resources officials from the districts examined the use of computer technology to replace enlarged-type textbooks for visually impaired students. Officials said the textbooks run about $500 each, while a device such as an Apple IPad is less expensive. Transportation officials discussed the possibility of sharing transportation for students in different districts who maybe attending the same competitions and other programs.
The next meeting will be hosted by Uniontown Area officials at a date to be determined.