New school calendar adds more weather days to schedule

Come this time next year, school administrators will be more prepared for student days missed due to weather conditions.

The Madison City Schools 2011-2012 calendar has minor, but important changes.

“One of the great things about this calendar is that it gives a lot more flexibility if we have weather days,” said School Superintendent Dr. Dee Fowler. “Four are specifically designed as weather and the two others are on President’s Day weekend.”

The current calendar has only two weather days penned into the schedule, which didn’t cover the six days students actually missed due to inclement winter weather.

Dr. Clara Toney, administrator of federal programs, testing and instruction for MCS, who also served as the administrator in charge of developing the new calendar, said past calendars typically had zero to two days penciled in.

“To have those days built-in is really looking ahead so we would not be cut on situations like this year where everyone is adjusting schedules and vacations that are already planned,” Toney said.

Toney, along with a special committee consistent of school staff members, passed along to Fowler what they thought would be the best version of the calendar.

Once the committee submitted a calendar, Fowler tweaked it and presented it to the board of education, which then approved it.

Fowler makes it a point to schedule testing before the first semester ends. He said the advantage to that schedule is that it grants seniors wanting to graduate early the ability to do so.

“(Fowler) took in the academic implications,” Toney said. “He made sure that the final result would not interfere with our ability to provide our students with the best academic environment possible.”

Click here to view next year’s calendar.