By Jennifer Emert - bio | email
ALBANY, GA (WALB) - Lee County school board members voted to cut a half day of instruction for students to help make up for $1.1 million in state funding cuts.
They turned October 23rd into a half day for students. The district will get credit for a full school day because instruction will run through noon, giving them their required total of 180 days.
The half day October 23rd, a half day December 18th, and planning days scheduled for August sixth and seventh will give teachers three furlough days.
Because Lee County is starting later this year and cutting out fall break, it made it more difficult to find the time.
"As long as we got to school for more than half of the day which we will, and we have no fall break this year, our calendar was such that we started school later August 14th," said Lee County Schools Superintendent Dr. Larry Walters.
Non-certified employees or support staff will be furloughed one day. That group will be split up between August seventh, October 23rd, and December 18th.
Lee County school board members are showing solidarity with employees by giving up their pay for three meetings between now and December.
It doesn't add up to much money, so it's more of a symbolic gesture. The board has one of the lowest compensation rates in the state. Board members make only $50 a meeting.
"It's going to be a drop in the bucket as far as financial concerns go," Lee County School Board Member Greg Duke said. "But it does send a message that we all need to participate in theses situations to help correct or to use wise decisions when they're making budget cuts."
The Board also plans to draft a letter to the Governor and State Legislators informing them of the decision and requesting they do the same to help the state's ailing budget.
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