Why is Extension of Learning Time in Both Packages?
The Selectmen opted to put the additional learning time in both override packages because they acknowledged that additional time is as necessary for the school system as meeting the structural deficit or addressing the maintenance issue. There is a “teaching crunch” in K-5: as content expands and teachers choose better, more time-intensive methods, they have had to carve time out of other activities in order to put time into other priority areas. This is a zero-sum game. More time allows teachers to choose the best teaching methods without taking time away from other things. In the middle school years, we are woefully behind. Of our 17 peer districts in length of day, we are last by a large margin. The only reason we meet state requirements is because we choose to classify our middle years as “elementary” because they sit in K-8 schools. Students who attend middle schools in other districts are held to a higher standard. We believe we should hold ourselves to that standard in grades 6-
