School snow-day makeup announced

Sisters School District officials have devised a way to make up for snow closure days without affecting the two-week spring break vacation or extending the school year in June.

The Sisters School Board voted unanimously last Wednesday to reclaim Presidents Day, February 20, as a class day as well as March 3, June 1, June 15 and June 16. The District earlier decided to hold classes on January 20.

Those six makeup days, plus one day originally built into the schedule, account for all seven of the closure days so far this winter.

"We have a plan, barring more of the white stuff coming down," Superintendent Curtiss Scholl said.

He explained that union representatives for the District's certified and classified employees approved the altered schedule "to do what's best for students."

Shortening spring break was discussed, but was rejected because 20 staff members have made plans that will prevent them from being in town during the second week of that vacation.

Scholl called the chances of finding 20 available substitute teachers "very slim" because other school districts are in the same position as Sisters, trying to find enough teachers to meet their own scheduling needs.

The superintendent added that Sisters schools already exceed the State Department of Education's mandatory class time. That's why no waiver from the State is needed here, although the department is offering such waivers to districts.

School Board member Stephen King suggested that, in the future, the Sisters District build two potential snow days into its annual schedule. The school year could start two days earlier than normal, he said, and classes could be curtailed two days earlier in the spring if no snow days are used.

Scholl called it an idea worth considering. It would put the District in a proactive stance instead of a reactionary one, he said. Scholl noted that two days were lost for weather reasons in 2015-16 -one for snow and another for icy conditions.

This winter's unusually heavy snowfall has affected more than class time. It also has slowed some of the work on school renovation work authorized by the $10.7 million bond measure voters approved last year.

"This spring will be a busy spring," Scholl said of the bond work. "We will start to see earth move."

School Board Chairman Jeff Smith acknowledged the unusual winter weather.

"This is the longest we've had snow on the ground in my 21 years here," he said. "There are a whole lot of people in a whole lot of arenas who did a great job for us. I want to take my hat off to them."

That includes personnel who shoveled snow, inspected school building roofs, and arose in the wee hours of the morning to drive area roads and check whether conditions would allow safe transportation of students.

Sisters Elementary School Principal Becky Stoughton added a touch of humor to the discussion.

"Our snow berms have turned into ice berms," she said. "We've lost a few snow boots, but no students yet."