New school construction to delay, extend calender

Feb. 17– Hardin County students should be prepared for an unusual school calender for the 2010-2011 school year.

To accommodate the construction of the two new 550-student elementary schools now being built, classes are likely to both start and end later in the year, according to schools Supervisor Jim Vernon.

"We’re working on our third draft right now," he said.

The latest proposal involves a start date after Aug. 10, the point at which the school system expects to take possession of the new Northside Elementary near Walmart and East Elementary off Florence Road.

Vernon said classes usually start around Aug. 3-4, but in order to allow time to get the new facilities student-ready, the starting date may be moved back to mid or even late August.

It may also be necessary to trim days off the regularly scheduled breaks during the year, he said.

Federal holidays, however, are not being turned into class days, Vernon said, and the end of the school year and graduation should still come prior to Memorial Day, on May 30, 2011.

Graduation and the last day of class for the current school year are May 21.

The Hardin County Board of Education it tentatively set to consider a proposed calender at its March 8 meeting.

In another calender-related issue, Vernon said students have four "snow days" left out of 13 built into the schedule.

Tennessee law mandates a 180-day school year.

In Hardin County, students attend school 30 minutes per day longer than the minimum, allowing the 13-day cushion.