Mon, Jul 06 2009
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Published November 22, 2008 01:03 am - School officials in Conneaut, anxious to preserve a dwindling number of snow days, have asked the Board of Education to consider a two-hour delayed start to classes when bad weather hits. Conneaut schools mull 2-hour delayed start Policy would salvage precious snow days By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com Star Beacon CONNEAUT — School officials in Conneaut, anxious to preserve a dwindling number of snow days, have asked the Board of Education to consider a two-hour delayed start to classes when bad weather hits.
“We’re nervous already,” Kent Houston, Conneaut Area City Schools’ superintendent, said at Thursday’s Board of Education meeting. “We’ve used two days this week.” Classes were canceled Monday and Friday because of snow and ice. School also was closed in September when high winds caused a power outage that affected some buildings. Administrators have suggested a policy that would delay the start of school two hours on snowy days to give snowplows time to clear streets and roads. A two-hour delay wouldn’t count against the snow-day total, Houston said. “It counts as a full day as long as we serve lunch, “ Houston said. The Ohio Department of Education allows school districts five so-called calamity days a year. After that, districts have to make up missed days elsewhere on the calendar. Some internal wrinkles have to be worked out, including the cafeteria schedule, before the policy is launched, Houston said. He acknowledged a delay could cause some hardships. “There would probably be some inconvenience for parents, and we would probably have to cancel preschool,” Houston said. Board members felt a delay had merit, especially given the city of Conneaut’s recent declaration that money woes could have an impact on snow removal on secondary roads. “We will not be receiving the same service to our roads as in the past,” said board member Nicholas Iarocci. In other business, the board tabled an item that would purchase computer gear necessary to analyze and — if necessary — adjust the district’s school bus routes. Streamlining the routes could save the district tens of thousands of dollars, board members learned. Brian Chase, the district’s technology director, gave a program on the concept at a work session preceding the regular meeting. The preferred program would not only allow the district to remap its routes, but also use satellite technology to track the location of the 23 buses in the fleet and allow parents to get bus stop information via their home computers, board members learned. The program also would help the district create identification cards for students to ensure they board the proper bus, Chase said. The district’s bus routes haven’t been re-examined in more than 30 years, board members learned. A detailed analysis could save the district big money on fuel and bus maintenance, Chase said. Cost of the program is $25,000, plus a $5,000 annual maintenance fee. Because of the expense, Iarocci asked the item be tabled until administrators could prepare a cost savings analysis for the board’s review. If approved, three or four district employees would be trained to use the program. Reconfigured bus routes wouldn’t be introduced until the 2009-10 school year, officials said. 
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