Still Up in Air After 9 Months of Procrastination
A delayed start-up of school at the Hennigan/ELC West last fall has necessitated under state law that students are ‘owed’ 12 additional hours of school instruction before the end of this school year. But
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| Hennigan Staff Celebrates Opening of New Library, in Nov., 2011 |
here’s the rub: department officials waited until yesterday afternoon–almost nine months–to make a verbal proposal on how to extend the school year. This procrastination has dismayed everyone–staff, students, and parents–as the end of the school year rapidly approaches. Any such change in staff/school schedule requires negotiations with each union affected.
In the summer of 2011 the Hennigan/ELC West was slated to be painted, but as the toxic compound, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), was found in the existing paint, a decision was made to delay the repainting until the building could be cleared of the summer school program. This delay caused a further delay in the repainting and cleanup of the building, which houses more than 600 children between the two schools. Staff worked hundreds of hours in late August–many people worked multiple days–trying to get the school ready for a September opening, but this effort still wasn’t enough, and the start of school had to be delayed for one week.