School Division Makes School Day Extension Permanent

The Prince William County School Board voted unanimously June 4 to extend the school day by 10 minutes at all grade levels to provide a cushion if the region experiences a harsh winter during the 2014-2015 school year.

The additional time will add approximately 30 additional hours to the calendar and bring the school day more in line with surrounding school divisions.

The measure was originally proposed at the May 31 meeting in reaction to the instructional time lost due to the 13 weather-related closings and six two-hour delays and to ensure the school division does not find itself short on hours in the future.

The School Division Calendar Committee convened April 10 at the direction of Superintendent Steven L. Walts, and decided to recommend adding time to the instructional day for the 2014-2015 school year.

In response to concerns from the Prince William Educational Association, Chairman At-Large Milt Johns clarified that the ten additional minutes do not extend teachers' contractual time.

“The recommendation has been changed slightly based on feedback that we have received," he said. "To be very clear, this ten minutes does not affect the length of the teacher contract day. Not ten minutes on top of the 30 minute change from a couple of years ago.”