DeKalb shortens school year by one day

By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

DeKalb County students will go to school one less day next year.

The school board voted 7-1 Monday night to cut the 2010-2011 school calendar from 180 to 179 days. Board member Jim Redovian voted against the move.

The calendar changes were necessary to meet the school budget, interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson said. Last month, the board approved a budget with $104 million in cuts, including seven furlough days for teachers and 15 furlough days for administrators.

In addition to cutting one instruction day, the calendar removes staff development days.

School officials said they surveyed teachers before putting the calendar together.

“The survey made it clear that teachers wanted to preserve the August pre-planning week and forgo staff development days in October and February,” said Anthony Eitel, the district’s executive director of assessment and accountability.

The district initially proposed getting rid of several days before classes start, but teachers complained that they needed this time to prepare for students.

Despite the survey, Redovian said he still felt teachers were not included in the decision.

“I’m really concerned that once again we’re asking teachers to take the brunt of this,” he said.

In response to this year’s budget crisis, the Legislature agreed to allow school systems to reduce their calendars from 180 days as long as instruction time doesn’t decrease.

School starts Aug. 9 in DeKalb.