By law, districts are required to have 1025 hours of instruction per school year.
Roanoke Rapids built additional hours into its calendar this year to accommodate inclement weather. “While forgiving the hours this time is an option, any additional days missed may result in having to revisit the school calendar for makeup days,” said Superintendent Dr. Dain Butler.
Permanent employees will, however, be required to make up the 18 hours lost or use vacation time according to state policy. “Staff will be given a range of options to make up missed time,” Butler added.
In other action, the board approved funds for wireless internet upgrades for Roanoke Rapids High School, Chaloner Middle, and Belmont Elementary.
The majority of the $330,000 upgrade will come from federal grant funding.
The Department of Public Instruction and the school district will pay a portion as well.
The new Manning Elementary is being built with the latest wireless internet connectivity. The upgrade is necessary to handle the district’s 1:1 digital learning initiative.
Every student grades 2 to 12 now have Chromebooks which are used daily in the classroom.
Board members also discussed at great length the current laws regarding class size.
The district could be forced to come up with an additional $422,000 or more to meet the new state class size requirements.
In the past, there has been some flexibility in how districts allocate funding in grades K-3.
Under the new law, RRGSD would be required to hire six additional teachers which would mean six additional classrooms. “This is not just a local issue, but impacts every district in the state. For us it means more costs which could force cuts in other areas to make up the deficit. Additionally, it will require us to find space for additional classrooms,” said Butler.
The RRGSD board agreed to draft a resolution that will be forwarded to state legislators in support of a bill that would offer relief and continue the offerings the district affords its students.
