By Whitney Keith
The Ava R-I School District will soon be trying to fit another day onto the 2010-2011 calendar.
The district received a letter from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) that the district was short one day in the required number of days in session last year, for the 2009-2010 school year.
“It was a miscalculation,” said Superintendent Brian Wilson. “They only went 172 days, when they should have went 173 days.”
The mistake happened when inclement weather caused the district to be out a total of nine days last year.
The district made up six days of classes for the first six days missed, but then the rules changed.
“For every day that you miss after six days, you get a ‘two for one’ deal,” Wilson explained. “For every two days you miss, you only have to make up one of them.”
The confusion happened when the days were counted.
The seventh and eighth days were missed, so the district made up the seventh day and did not have to make up the eighth day.
Then the district missed their ninth, and final, day.
Because a tenth day wasn’t missed (which would not have had to be made up), the district was still required to make up that ninth day, which they did not do.
Because of this problem, the first day of this school year (2010-2011) counted for the last day of the 2009-2010 year, and the district must now fit another day into the calendar for this year.
“We want to do it in a way that’s least intrusive to everyone’s plans,” Wilson said.
He said that it is unlikely that the day will be made up over Christmas break, since many families have already made their holiday travel plans.
When the school board meets in regular session on Sept. 16, they will discuss where to add the additional day.
