Students will go to school the Friday before spring break after all, the Gainesville school board decided Tuesday.

April 1 had been designated as a furlough day, but board members voted to make Dec. 16 one of the furlough days instead. Schools were canceled that day due to snowy and rainy conditions.

“April 1 was given priority because it’s the only day ahead of us that is a regular day for students,” Superintendent Merrianne Dyer said.

Dyer said the day won’t cost extra to restore. Dec. 16 will be unpaid for faculty.

School board member David Syfan agreed to the swap, adding that the school system may be impacted by inclement weather in the future.

“We could have more snow days in January or February and we may need that instructional day,” Syfan said.

Last June, Gainesville City Schools announced 10 furlough days for the 2010-2011 school year as a result of state budget cuts.

The school system was able to cut a furlough day scheduled for March 11 with federal stimulus funds from the jobs bill.
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f bad weather strikes again, the board could take the same action in the future, Dyer said.
In other business Tuesday, Dyer gave the school board an overview of the Gainesville charter system.

The talk led to a broader discussion about increasing the role of the Charter System Leadership Team, which meets three times a year.

The team acts as ambassadors to the school system and provide recommendations to the superintendent to help develop policies, rules and regulations for the district.  Board member Maria Calkins said it could be useful to have them be involved in focus groups.

“Sometimes we’re in the forest and we don’t know what the community thinks, but they’re out in the community,” Calkins said.

Syfan said he believed the group was under used and that the team expressed a desire to provide more help.

The school board will meet with the group in February to discuss possible changes.