Traverse City Record-Eagle

Grand Traverse County

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  • Douglas Tesner

    Majie Rich
March 6, 2010

Deal reached on changes to TCAPS schedule

BY ART BUKOWSKI

TRAVERSE CITY -- The stalemate is over.

Teachers, administrators and board members at Traverse City Area Public Schools reached a deal late this week to alter school schedules for the balance of this year, an effort to trim costs this year and next.

The agreement includes cutting 2.5 full days from this school year by adding 15 minutes to each full day beginning March 15.

Four remaining half days also will be combined into two whole days.

The deal will save the district about $127,000 this year, and lead to identical savings in the 2010-11 year by allowing for similar scheduling changes.

"I think for the most part, everyone feels like they worked hard to come together ... to make a decision that's going to put the district in a good position," said Alison Arnold, a TCAPS spokeswoman.

John Scrudato, president of the Traverse City Education Association, agreed.

"It feels really good, we never stopped trying ... we always figured we could sit down and work things out," he said.

The board approved scheduling changes in February as part of roughly $6 million in budget cuts for 2010-11, but the district and union couldn't agree on specifics and said they were at an impasse.

Board members initially supported eliminating up to eight half days, cutting up to three full days and adding as many as 18 minutes this year to allow for schedule changes in 2010-11.

State law won't allow school districts to meet fewer days next year than they do this year, so officials had to trim this year's time before looking to next year.

The district now plans to eliminate five half days and two whole days in the 2010-11 calendar by lengthening the school day by a total of five minutes next year.

Four of the five half days will be combined into two full days, and the remaining half will be absorbed by adding one minute to the school day. Two additional days will be cut by adding four minutes.

TCAPS Board President Marjie Rich said the move won't reduce the amount of student instruction.

"We're not eliminating class time, we're reorganizing it," she said. "If people think we're eliminating 4.5 days, that's not the truth."

The savings come in large part from busing, which officials said costs the district about $20,000 a day. Combining two half days into a single whole day cuts bus runs from four to two.

The district also saves on utility and some staff costs.

Rich called the changes a "win-win" for students, staff and parents in the district.

For revised school calendars, visit www.tcaps.net.

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