By LAMAR THAMES

Whether you like his ideas or not, you have to admire the way Clay County School Board Chairman Charlie Van Zant Jr. thinks outside the box in trying to come up with methods to cut expenses for the cash-strapped system.

Earlier this year, Van Zant broached the subject of a four-day school schedule. I think he knew he wouldn’t get much support for the unpopular idea but he put it out there anyway. 

Now, Van Zant wants to hear from the public about another idea he has: a longer school day that would result in fewer teaching days in the school calendar year.

Van Zant says there are two bills in the Legislature that would make it possible to change the actual numbers of days taught, thus possibly saving money. Scenarios running from adding 20 to 40 to 60 extra minutes a day could shorten the mandated 180-school year by X number of days if the Legislature passes versions of the two bills. Read the rest of this entry »