Alabama school systems are scrambling to fit a new state mandated calendar into their schedule.
The state legislature passed a bill which mandates that school will not start any sooner than August 20, 2012 and will end at May, 24th 2013. Some like the idea of a longer summer vacation.
"I think the children will get longer time to spend with their parents, be taught more values," Denise Bandy, a grandmother said.
Supporters of the change believe it would be a boost to the state economy through tourism if parents had more time with their children.
But some question the change. Karen Price who is a single mother. Price says the new school schedule will create problems and likely cost her more for day care.
"A lot of us working [so] nobody is going to be home to pick them up after school care. So when school is out longer in the summer time it's going to cause a problem," Price said.
School systems are given a choice how to fit the new mandate into their calendar. The schools are mandated to have at least 1080 hours for instruction. Vestavia Hills Superintendent Jamie Blair discovered his school system is over the mandated hours and could trim holidays around Christmas and Thanksgiving for a total of 177 days.
"Of course our biggest concern is instructional days. Making sure we provide instructional days...is important to our children," Blair said.
Jefferson County and Shelby County schools are looking to stay at 180 instructional days and this will likely mean cutting time off for holidays during the school year. Some school systems are literally adding minutes a day to cut days and still make the mandated instructional hours.
Jefferson County School Superintendent Phil Hammonds says his school system will not do this because of the large bus routes and the possible additional time it would add to students' rides to and from school.
The Alabama Education Association opposed the change in the past but not this time year.
"For the first time in some years, AEA endorsed the school calendar bill. We saw an opportunity for dollars, to put additional dollars into the educational trust fund and save teachers jobs," Lance Hyche with AEA said.
It's estimated the additional time off could add $22 million dollars this year and next to the educational trust fund. The funding could save almost 1,900 teaching jobs. This week State School Superintendent Tommy Bice will hold a webinar on the school calendar.
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