Wake County School Board Votes On Makeup Dates

The planextends the school year by one week and will include May 29 (Memorial Day), June 2 and June 5-9.

The Wake County school board had six options, which included extending the school day or having Saturday classes.

Doris Burk, a retired school teacher, thought neither of the options was a good idea.

"It's just a relaxing period on the weekend," Burk says. "Students that need to come on Saturday will not come. Students that do not need to come will show up on a Saturday."

Before the final vote, the board considered the option of extending the school day, but ultimately decided to accept the administration's recommendation, which the majority believed would be educationally beneficial for students.

"Well, I like my summers so I was hoping they would tack it onto the end of the day, but this is fine," says Leah Townsend, a student at Dillard Drive Elementary School.

The school vote was not an unanimous decision as two board members dissented. The issue generated so much debate thatWake County Schoolseven solicitedopinions on the Internetfrom parents.

Thirty-four percent of the parents who voted on the Internet wanted the school board to extend the school year by one week, while 33 percent wanted the board to increase the school day.