HOUSE OF DELEGATES BUCKS TEACHER UNION - Votes To Guarantee 180 Instructional Days

(01/26/2010)
The issue of West Virginia school students getting 180 days of instruction a year is back on the burner in Charleston, after a large number of days missed during a recent winter snow storm.

Ignoring pressure from the state teacher's union, the West Virginia House of Delegates has passed a version of a school calendar bill 92-1.

The latest measure, which has failed several times in the legislature, is intended to help school boards meet the state's requirement of 180 school days.

A locked in formula has prevented school systems from adding on missed days to the school calendar.

The teacher's unions are critical of the bill, concerned that the school systems may not be able to insure their 200-day contracts due to such a flexible schedule.

The unions have successfully lobbied against changing the locked-in policy.

The new legislation would take away the August 26th beginning and June 8th end for the state school calendar and leave the issue to the county school boards, allowing them to simply add-on instructional days missed.