Racine Unfied Board Considers Changing The Last Day of School, Again

It appears that Friday, June 10 will be the last day of classes for the Racine Unified School District after all.

The RUSD Board of Education will be asked Wednesday to consider a plan that will adjust previously scheduled school days and tweak daily schedules in middle and high schools to meet state attendance requirements. The special meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Administrative Service Center, 2220 Northwestern Ave.

RUSD administrators and the Racine Education Association came up with the new plan through “ongoing conversations,” said Stacy Tapp, RUSD spokesperson.

Under the proposal, the School Board will be asked to approve a resolution stating that the Feb. 17 schools closure was “because of a threat to the health and safety of pupils.” That move will allow the district to receive an exemption from the state Department of Public Instruction and proceed with plans to make up for lost instructional time.

Classes were canceled on Feb. 17 after about 25 percent of the district’s teaching staff called in sick during protests against state budget proposals.

RUSD had earlier intended to tack on an extra day (Monday, June 13) to the school year. The School Board learned on April 18 that plan would cost up to $478,000 in additional employee compensation.

Under the new plan, an early release day on Friday, May 13 will be canceled and June 10 will be a full day of school for elementary and middle school students.

Middle school and high school students will make up missed instructional hours by adjusting the starting and ending times of each school day by one minute and making adjustments to passing time, lunch periods, exam schedules and homeroom schedules.

Wisconsin requires a minimum of 180 days of public school instruction annually. The required instructional time per grade level are:

• 437 hours for kindergarten
• 1,050 hours for grades 1 through 6
• 1,137 hours for grades 7 through 12.