With a looming mask mandate decision on the horizon and vacancies still very high in all sectors of the school system, the decision to start tweaking the bell schedule in WSFCS is ill-timed and neglects the very obstacles that really stand in the way of our schools.

Before thinking about “normalizing” instruction time with the extension of school days, maybe it would be better to fight for smaller class sizes. Being able to maximize time that we already have with students in classrooms by not being so stretched out for resources and affording individual attention would be far more beneficial. Extending the school day just places more on the backs of teachers for a longer period of time.

More planning days? You can’t extend the number of days we go to school as it is pretty much cemented in statutes. Does this mean Early Release days? They don’t work as well as one would think. There are still extracurriculars and schedules of parents and guardians tend not to have those days built in.

Hard to have class scheduling flexibility if the existing classes are so big and resources stretched thin. Extra time does not create scheduling flexibility. More teachers teaching more classes with the same number of students do.

How about petition the state to be able to start the school year earlier in August to allow for more days to be built in for making up missed school days? We could even have exams for fall semester before the calendar year ends.

How about changing high schools back to a seven period day? That would give much more flexibility and time for teachers to plan. Attention spans for students would also improve.

And that streamlining of transportation? This system doesn’t even have enough bus drivers to accommodate the demand now.