Maybe the Janesville kids are going to be too busy shooting heroin to go to school on that day anyway.

As someone stated earlier, the school calendar is set up two years prior to its implementation, meaning that due to contractual obligations, extra snow days could NOT have been put in place for this year! Now, the NEXT two years will soon be being worked on, and we will see if any adjustments for snow days are made, but until then, please stop whining about "why didn't we put more in?" Now you know! :) And finally, I think the high school kids will be just fine having their exams moved back a day; teachers will have to crunch in more grading that week with the loss of that Friday's work day, but I have no doubt they will all survive as well! I, for one, am grateful the day is being made up this quickly, is in fact a full day of education, and is not on a weekend. On a separate comment, I appreciated the longer break for winter; when I was growing up here, I clearly remember having longer breaks such as this as opposed to the last few years where students were back on Jan 2 and barely had one week of vacation. Lastly, the after Labor Day start date has nothing to do with air conditioning. That start date was mandated at the state level and was a response to tourist communities and their concerns over Labor Day weekend workers at the high school level as well as family vacations. It was an economic decision not an environmental one as I recall.

I really don't know why the school district does not budget a minimum of 2 days. 1 per semester. As far the whiners go for making up a day on Jan. 23rd WAH just do it. You had Dec. 19th off. You cant tell me you did more school work on Dec.19th than you would on Jan. 23rd

Some of you slay me. You act like an extra 2 days in school is a prison sentence! I understand that having it on the 23rd is more of a pain for the high school kids because of exams, but it really doesn't effect the other kids. I think they should make it up now, because you never know how many more may come up that they'll have to make up at the end of the year.

JohnDoe-Elementary Schools do not have air conditioning, with the exception of Kennedy School.

I don't care if my kids have to make-up for the weather but last time really was stupid yes my elementary kid went sat- 8am-130pm and actually learn but my high school child watch the teachers play basketball and watch a movie not related to school and was there for what two hours thats a waste of gas!

um....Im confused. Dont we all live in Wisconsin? Why have the schools not set aside days for snow days?? My son moved here from Elkhorn 2 months before school was out last,year.He was forced to endure the extra school days he would not otherwise had to have if he had stayed where he was.The school distract told me it was a matter of distract,not towns. He did his time,as I call it.Yet he still had to do the extra days. Not fair !!

And I would think the JEA would be more than willing to approve an earlier start date in the contract so everyone can see that the taxpayer will get their money's worth from the new AC.

Yes, I know the state has to approve an earlier then Labor Day start, but I would think our brand new air conditioning system should convince them that we really do have the best interest and comfort of our children first and foremost.

That's right. Start school two weeks earlier (we can do that now that we will have air conditioning) every year and then if the days aren't needed, get out earlier in the spring.

It all comes down to the contract.
Anything (with-in the law) can be done if both side agree to it.

I think making up the day now is a good idea!
•
But does anyone know why changes like getting rid of early release days (which was done this year) can be made, but adding more snow days can't?

Milton High School did extend their school day by creative use of school minutes, but they also made up a day at the end of the school year and pushed the teacher workshop day back. As Frank Schultz said, schools not only have 180 days they have a certain number of minutes that must be fulfilled according to DPI.

I dont want to sound bitter in no way but did the kids really need to have off 2 weeks in a row for christmas break and then already have off jan 23 for some reason, couldn't they have gone to school for 2 of those days before christmas, maybe the district should look into the holiday breaks maybe 2 years in advance to schedule, i just dont remmember getting that much time off when i was in school, and i know things have changed

All that exam work and stress will be good for them. Get 'em ready for the real world. (Just joking ... maybe!)

The high schools plan to move the exams back a day. So, finals will begin on Wednesday and end with that Friday. And staff and students get just the weekend to recover, grade, etc.

Just move high school final exams back a day, having them end on the 23rd. Middle school and elementary have the day for regular classes. Teachers would have to get grades in for all students by the assigned deadline, so they may have to get some of the work done on the weekend. Some "payback" of working hours could be worked out since the staff still has a contractual day to work. Do the teachers draw up the school calendar, or is it presented to them by the school board and they vote on it?

I've heard that if the make up day is that friday, that exams will be pushed back a day. So the last exams would be on that friday. That allows an extra day of teaching or review BEFORE exams.

That week we have exams! No one is going to want to go to school after doing exams all week! Thats the day for students to relax and for teachers to do catch up work! Why can't they do it the friday before summer break?

Make up day, the day after exams are done? How many students are going to attend a make up day, the day after all their exams are finished? Especially if this isn't going to be graded towards any academic achievements. Or perhaps is it just wasted on a show as opposed to learning environment? I hope attendance is strictly enforced and mandatory to make use of this "make up day".

atleast its not a saturday like last year! i dont understand why janesville has not learned yet to allow a few more snow days in just in case! duh then they wouldnt have to worry about scheduling a makeup day!!

They do allow schools to extend time of day, they did that last year in Milton.

The next time the teachers go for a new contract build in an extra day and then won't it be so much fun to let the kids go early when it doesn't get used! DUH!

For one with the proposed make-up day lets hope the high school and middle schools actually do some teaching on the make-up day this year. The elementary students actually had six hours of learning and if they missed they got homework. And lets not have make-up days of Saturdays...this does mess with some of the parents scheduling..especially those who work weekends.

Let's hope parents send their children to school on the makeup day this year. If they don't, then they are cheating their children (IMO!).

As I understand it, state law doesn't allow you to extend the school day in order to make up for lost days. The law requires 180 days and also a specified number of minutes each year, depending on the grade level. The Janesville district applied for a waiver last year so it could add minutes to make up for snow days, and the Department of Public Instruction said no. --Gazette reporter Frank Schultz

We have had 2 snow days already, December 9th (I think that was the date) & December 19th. As for only 1 snow day in the calendar, this calendar was approved by teachers a couple of years ago. Hopefully, when they get the next option of calendars there will more than one snow day built in! As for making up Jan. 23rd, I'm all for it. That still leaves room to make up another day in April if we should have any more snow or cold days.

why dont they just start the school day so many minutes earlier or extend them by a couple of minutes from the start of the year to the end, then you dont have top worry about any make up days, if you dont need any during the winter time the kids get out of school maybe a couple of days earlier at the end of the year

Actually. We've had 2 snow days... We where only given 1 snow day for this school year once again! I don't have a problem with having the children make it up on a week day. I think this weekend stuff is not right !!!

What they need to do is plan ahead and figure in for more snow days...it is Wisconsin after all.

It makes more sense than having them go on Saturdays like last year. They are allowed 1 they have had 2.

They must do like our schoold district does. The first two days they do not make up, the third day they do and the fourth they don't. I am not sure why they do it this way, it doesn't make sense to me.

I agree...they shouldn't make students make up a "snow day" on Jan. 23rd, this is supposed to be a day of rest after all their exams.

Why make up a day, when they haven't used all that were alloted yet. They do allot so many days a year for snow, etc, don't they?