Economy Said Big Year Around School Advantage

Economy. In a word, this is one of the greatest advantages ofyeararound school operations, according to the proponents of the plan. Alleviation of overcrowded classrooms and the reduction of construction needs follow closely behind as other prime advantages of a 12-month system, they say. "It is sheer folly and gross wastefulness to shut our schools and teachers down three months out of the year," says James F. O'Neil of Livonia, a member of the State Board of Education. Or in the words of Trustee William C. Godfrey, who proposed the year-around plan in Ann Arbor: "We can no longer afford to allow the bulk of our school plant to stand idle in the summer; and we can no longer afford to lay off most of our ;eaching staff in the summer." Fifty or more years ago, a nine - month school year made sense, the backers of the new system say. The practice of a ong school vacation during the summer months was justifiable when America was largely agrarian and the children were needed on the farms to plant and harvest; when the demands for education were less intense. Today, they contend, the story is obviously different. Yet we continue to hold onto the old school calendar when school facilities are badly overcrowded or inadequate, when there is a serious of teachers, and when there are strong pressures on children to learn more and learn it better. Rapidly rising enrollment, mounting construction c o s t s and the refusal of a growing number of communities in the United States to finance continual school construction and operations are additional reasons given to illustrate the need Eor a change. According to Godfrey's recently - proposed plan, a "quarterly" year-around program should be implemented by the f all of 1970 (this is one of four 12-month plans which exist). This means that three-quarters of the students would be in school at all times, with o n equarter on vacation at all times on a rotating basis. Each child would spend approximately the same amount of time in school as under the traditional nine - month year, but vacation periods would be staggered, and only ;er of the students would haveli ;heir vacations during the sum: mer quarter. What would be the result of mplementing such a plan?l Theoretically, at least, existing school capacity would in-j crease by one-third - a school built to handle 600 students could handle 800, for example. Other advantages cited for the quarterly system, are: 1) The building plant and other equipnient do not lie i dl e for one-fourth of the year. 2) Fewer buildings are needed, thus providing eConomies in construction, debt service and insurance premiums. 3) Each child is guaranteed as much instruction time as is normally given; yet, theoretically, 25 per cent more pupils are cared for by approximately the same number of personnel. 4) Doublé shifts, together with a shortened day, are unnecessary. 5) With f uil-time employment for teachers and better annual salaries, the teacher - turnover problem will be less serious. Their s u m m e r employment problem is also solved, thus increasing teachers' professional status and morale. 6; Less land for school sites would be needed. 7) Fewer books are neede.d at any one time. 8) Slow learners or ill pupils would be able to repeat a course the next quarter_ instead of falling a year behind. 9) Fast learners would be able to accelerate their program and gradúate more quickly, if they desired. 10) The work of the pupil is evaluated more o f ten, with more frequent reports on his or her progress to parents. 11) Greater part-time and fulltime job opportunities would be available since a limited number of students would be out of school at the same time. 12) More children could enjoy organized school activities in the summer, such as nature and field trips. 13) Juvenile delinquency could be combatted, since many children are not put onto the streets at one time. 14) Parents' vacations could be spread throughout the year, rather than crammed into one three-month period when the schools close. 15) In terms of Ann Arbor proper, Godfrey comments that the "effect of the year-around plan on building capacity is striking; for instance, Pioneer High's rated capacity goes from 2,250 to 3,000, and Huron High's from 1,800 to 2,400. In fact the total effect would be the same as building about $18 million worth of new school buildings." Historically, the four-quarter plan was given fairly extensive experimentation the United States from the turn of the century to the mid 1930s. In the past few years, considerable interest in the plan has returned. According to recent studies, the four-quarter plan is not being used at the present time anywhere in the United States (although other types of yeararound plans are operating in New York and Florida. Eight school districts in Georgia, however, will begin the four-quarter system at the high school level next September - if state funds are available for the necessary teacher salary increases. A similar pilot project will also be initiated this summer in many Delaware school districts, and if successful, w i 1 1 probably be implemented throughout the state in the fall of 1969 and 1970. ■ A number of Michigan school districts are presently studying plans for year-around school I erations at this time, töo, and the city of Durand (near Flint) vbted this week to begin a 12month system soon. Durand has not yet decided whether the four-quarter plan will be adopted,. ho wever. Th U.S. Office of Education also reports that it continually receives inquines a b o u t the four-quarter system, and a nonprofit educational organization_ called the National School Calendar Study Committee, has recent been formed in Minneapolis to provide m ateríais and speakers on the year - around subject.