Cleveland County educators support — cautiously — Garrett's call for long school day, year

OKLAHOMA CITY — State school superintendent Sandy Garrett’s call for a longer school day and an increased school year is drawing cautious praise from several area educators.

Yesterday, during her “State of Education” speech, Garrett called for extending the Oklahoma school year by five days and adding an hour to the state’s six-hour school day.

Norman superintendent, Dr. Joe Siano, and Moore superintendent, Deborah Arato, both praised Garrett’s proposal; but added the increase would cost both districts “substantial amounts.”

“I think that we could, most certainly, use a longer school year,” Arato said. “We are among the shortest school day in the region.”

Moore schools, she said, “have far more material to teach than time.”

Siano agreed.

Like Arato, he said extending the school year could benefit students.

“My reaction is positive,” he said, late Tuesday afternoon. “I think with the challenges in accountability, time is an important issue. I’m very much in favor of looking at those extended time options.”

But while both superintendents said the extra time would benefit students, both added the cost of extending the school day and the school year would tax already strained budgets.

“You have to look at extended operation dollars and contractual dollars,” Siano said. “There’s a number of issues. Probably the salary increase — in terms of personnel cost — would be the largest amount.”

And that cost, Arato said, could not be readily absorbed.

“An extended year is not something which can be woven into our existing budget,” she said. “It would take quite a bit of extra money: Transportation costs, utilities, salaries, child nutrition, support staff, custodial staff. It would cost a great deal more.”

A longer year, both officials said, would require more funds from state lawmakers.

“The state would have to provide additional money,” Arato said. “In just our district, our funding seems to be a very consistent problem. There are times we reach critical mass.”

This year, Arato said, Moore administrators were forced to “cut school budgets and cut some positions.”

“Our budget keeps us running very shorthanded. So I’m kinda’ curious were the money will come from.”

Moore teachers union president Jill Dudley said she, too, was concerned by how Garrett’s proposal would be funded.

“My concern is it is expensive to do that,” Dudley said. “Teachers will have to be paid for the additional days; and that brings a question to my mind, ‘will the legislature fund this?’ It will cost money.”

The concept, Dudley said, “would also be a hard sell” at the state capitol.

“In light of the fact it’s been such a battle to get any type of increase in teacher salaries, I believe it would be a fight,” she said. “Speaker Cargill said there will be no more raises that aren’t merit pay. So I think the House is going to have issues about extending the school year.”

Still even with the controversy, all three said they were pleased the issue was being discussed.

“I’ll be interested to see what some of those details are,” Siano said. “I hope we get the chance to work on the superintendent’s task force.”