As snow days continue to add up, school districts across the state may need to decide between adding days at the end of the year or seeking a waiver from the state.
K-12 schools are required to provide 1,098 hours of instruction time over 180 days.
Six days are provided of what the state calls “forgiven time”. After that school districts have to either approach the state for a waiver or add days during summer break. The state offers up to three days of waivered time off.
Bill Disessa is with the Michigan Department of Education.
“If they don’t meet the instruction time requirements the disincentive there is they will lose the corresponding amount of state aid they have coming to them.”
Disessa said school districts are recommended to add time into the summer before seeking waivers from the state.
“We don’t have any formal applications yet. We will get some at some point but it’s just a little early is all I’m saying.”
Several school districts across the state have already surpassed the number of available snow days. Traverse City schools have had nine snow days so far this year, Midland area schools have seen ten.