The Madison County school board has approved an adjusted calendar for the second semester in anticipation of teacher furlough days that might be handed down at the state level.
The amended calendar cuts three workdays for teachers and adds 10 minutes to each day to make up for the lost time.
School leaders also shifted holidays into the same week as furlough days to create a week-long break Feb. 15-19.
This comes after last semester’s calendar was cut three days for furloughs.
Should the state require more than three furlough days this semester, inclement weather days and perhaps post-planning days could be cut from the calendar.
In anticipation of more furloughs next year, Madison County School leaders have proposed three different calendars for 2011-2011.
These calendars account for three furloughs, six furlough days and no furlough days.
The calendar with no furlough days will still include the popular week-long fall break that grew out of this year’s amended calendar. Ten minutes would be added on to each school day to meet the required instruction time per semester.
But a no-furlough calendar in 2010-2011 is unlikely.
“No one really believes that there won’t be some form of amended calendar next year with the budget talk,” Madison County Schools Superintendent Mitch McGhee said.
McGhee has noted that the Madison County School System does not refer to work days lost as “furloughs” due to legal reasons, calling them “amended calendar days” instead.
