MARION COUNTY, Fla. — Wyomina Park Elementary in Marion County may be one of three schools in the state to take part in a pilot program for year-round classes.
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Students would still attend 180 days of school, but instead of a three-month summer break, 12 weeks of vacation would be spread out throughout the year.
“A year-long school calendar would basically be the three trimesters that would be 60 days, then maybe two or three weeks off 60 days, again, two or three weeks off 60 days again,” said Kevin Christian with Marion County School District.
The district says the school applied last fall to be one of the pilot schools after Governor Ron DeSantis and legislators approved the law last year.
The school district says the goal is to give students concentrated times of learning.
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Christian said in the 1980s, Wyomina Park Elementary was the only school in the state that had a program like that. The program ended after a few years then, he says, but now the school wants to try it again.
The school district pointed to research that shows year-round instruction is beneficial for students retaining information.
“It will show you that especially for younger students, shorter concentrated learning times are best for them. Not for the higher levels, but certainly for the younger levels,” Christian said.
But the question, will parents back it?
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Parents we spoke to say they have mixed emotions.
“It’s a good thing for the kids that need it. And they could get the extra help. But it also screws up the parents’ schedule,” said parent Amela Mrsic.
The school hosted a meeting Thursday to present the idea and hear from parents. Some parents reacted by saying there’s some disadvantages with the proposed schedule. They say they’ll have to figure out childcare for those times and will have to rethink summer vacations.
Keith Gilcrist pointed to the fact it will be even more complicated for students who have older siblings on different schedules.
“I’ll have to look into a different school. You know, because if one [child] is one is out [of school] or if one is out all summer, I would like for both of them to be on the same schedule,” Gilcrist said.
If the school board were to approve this pilot program, it would be a five-year long commitment. Parents voiced their concerns over the time commitment and said they would want to start with one or two years with the new proposed program.
No word on when the proposal will be voted on by Marion County’s school board.
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