Year Round Schools

One of the nation's leading advocates for year-round schools says he envisions a time in the 21st century in which school children learn at their home computer pods year-round and only attend school a couple of days a week for "acculturation purposes." Whether that Orwellian vision comes true, we can't foretell, but it's a good bet it will be the far distant future, if ever, before Maryland adopts broad year-round schooling.Former Gov. William Donald Schaefer liked the idea, mostly as a way to use schools throughout the year to hold down capital costs.

The results of a survey of Howard residents on the subject of year-round schools gives county officials hope that the idea can be sold to a larger audience. Not unexpectedly, a majority of residents polled by the Mason-Dixon Political/Media Research group of Columbia -- 45 percent -- opposed the idea. But it is significant that 38 percent liked the idea.Supportive responses increased when more information was provided or when the results were broken down by geography. In these numbers, officials see fertile territory for more converts later on. With that in mind, Superintendent Michael Hickey says he is proceeding with a survey of school personnel and students, as well as the development of a mock calendar that would be used to better explain the concept to residents.

The Harford school system held its first meeting Monday on year-round schools and got a mixed response from the audience.Several parents and some teachers who attended the discussion said a year-round school calendar would not work in Harford because three-week vacations would fall during the winter months. Others thought the winter breaks were a good idea.About 200 people came to Southampton Middle School in Bel Air to hear L. Dianne Locker, supervisor of the year-round school program in Orange County, Fla., talk about the concept.

Here's what the two main candidates for governor say about year-round schooling, a concept being studied in a half-dozen Maryland school systems that's of concern to parents who see its flaws.Republican Ellen Sauerbrey: "I'm not that gung-ho for it . . . I have major concerns about the impact on families. Families are under such pressure."Democrat Parris Glendening: "It's an issue brought to me daily, at least by friends of my 14-year-old son. I do not support it as a mandatory program. I can see hardships for families.

THE LAST GASP of a plan that was drowning anyway was heard in Howard County this week. By admitting they had made a mistake in calculating the savings that could be rendered from a conversion to year-round schools, officials have all but called it quits on promoting the idea.School Superintendent Michael E. Hickey labeled it "pretty much" a dead issue this week, after it was learned that the calculations were faulty. Dr. Hickey blames the mistake on timing, saying that the board's refusal to take up the issue of year-round schools until next April prompted officials to proceed with more expensive school construction projects.

Anne Arundel County could become the first school system in Maryland to approve year-round schools if the Board of Education agrees with a panel appointed by Superintendent Carol S. Parham.The Anne Arundel County Task Force on Year-Round Education is to recommend tomorrow allowing individual schools to operate on a year-round schedule.Jeanette Wessel, chairwoman of the 45-member committee, said members agreed on the recommendation after studying year-round schools in other states."Our research showed it's been very successful," Ms. Wessel said.

Year-round schooling gets top billing at tomorrow's forum on the future of education in Howard County, with two national experts on the trend scheduled to speak.The forum, scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at Ellicott City's Centennial High School, comes as Gov. William Donald Schaefer pushes counties to try year-round schooling as early as next year, with Howard as a pilot.Tomorrow's forum "is not a debate over whether we should or should not have year-round schools," said Superintendent Michael E. Hickey.

In the debate over year-round schools, the grown-ups have forgotten to consider the most important question, Anne Arundel County students say."A lot of adults are talking about the economics and logistics of it, but we're concerned with the social aspects, like the student government associations and sports," said Elizabeth Teixeira, a Severna Park High senior.She was among 25 students from schools throughout the county who got some important answers to their questions yesterday from students at Bell High School in Los Angeles during an hourlong video teleconference at a studio at AT&T's Global Business Communications Systems office complex in Linthicum.

County Councilwoman Maureen Lamb acknowledged last night that year-round school may seem like a radical idea, but urged her colleagues not to shy from it."It's essential that we find alternatives to meet the needs of the students in the county," Ms. Lamb said at a council hearing on her resolution urging the Board of Education to study implementing a year-round school calendar.As a first step, the Annapolis Democrat said, the board should begin a pilot program in one feeder system, consisting of a high school and the middle and elementary schools that feed into it.Ms.

Students worried about having to spend their summers in the classroom have little to fear: Year-round schools won't be coming to Maryland anytime soon.The idea -- pushed by former Gov. William Donald Schaefer as a cheap way to solve student crowding -- has failed to gain support in the state's fastest-growing counties. And with Gov. Parris N. Glendening taking a more passive role in the debate, it doesn't appear that that's going to change."Year-round education is not dead, but it may be in hibernation," said Eileen Oickle, a senior specialist in middle and high school learning in the state's Department of Education.