Wednesday, February 25, 2004
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Public and private schools could switch to a four-day week under a bill before lawmakers.
The House already has approved the legislation to let districts measure their school year by instructional hours rather than days.
Ohio now defines a school year as 182 school days. The bill would define it by 910 instructional hours per year for elementary schools and 1,001 hours for high schools.
Support for bill
The state school board has recommended the change, which is backed by the Ohio School Boards Association.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Thom Collier, a Mount Vernon Republican, pushed for the change after a small private school learned state law prevented it from going to four days.
The bill could help districts shut down by snowstorms that now must petition the state if making up several days would be a hardship.
A local decision
"If this thing passes, it doesn't mean every school district would go to four-day school week," said Fred Pausch, lobbyist for the Ohio School Boards Association. "Obviously it would be a local decision with the superintendent, the school board, the community and everybody else involved."