Students in Pinellas County public schools will get out of classes an hour early earlier on Wednesdays beginning next school year to give teachers extended planning time. It is among provisions of a new teachers' contract approved by the Pinellas County School Board on Tuesday night.
School district spokesperson Andrea Zahn says the district is negotiating with after-school programs to help fill the gap. "We are working to minimize the impact on parents," Zahn said.
Under the new contract, middle and high school teachers will teach six out of seven periods daily, with the extra planning time on Wednesdays. This school year the district and the teacher's union, Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association, were locked in a court battle about the extra teaching period and loss of planning time. The teacher contract has been under negotiation for 18 months.
Other changes for next year include the elimination of 200 bus routes at a transportation savings of $9 million. That came about as a result of a change in student assignment policy to move students to schools that are closer to their homes.
Eventually, district officials would like to move from a three-tier busing system, to a two-tier system. It would require high schools to begin classes later, and middle schools to start earlier.
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