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Show Year Round School: Won't Save Money By TOM BUSSELBERG Year-round schools could provide definite defi-nite benefits to students and teachers, with general advantages more for educational than economic reasons, several attendees at a conference exploring the alternative indicate. ' TWO PTA officials, the Davis Education Assoc. president and district school superintendent super-intendent all indicated the possibility for year-round schools should be studied, but the first three said reasons for implementing implement-ing it would probably not include economics. econo-mics. That was a key reason for originally exploring ex-ploring the program, how ever, and all three said they had changed their feeling after the Orem conference last week. "I THINK year-round school has a great potential," DEA Pres. Earl Spencer said. "There are tremendous advantages to the student. But if politically-oriented people are going to sell it totally on saving money, they're wrong. In the studies I have, at best they're looking look-ing at around a six percent savings in a cost per student. If you're looking at saving billions, bil-lions, they're sadly wrong," he added, noting not-ing savings would come only in a need for fewer new buildings while administration, maintenance, transportation and other areas would increase in cost. "BUT EDUCATIONALLY, this is" altogether different." The Davis High School educator said, noting students can study additional programs and have more personalized instruction, for instance. Review Re-view time after returning from vacation would be vastly reduced from what he termed a three week to one month review time now. PTA Regional Pres. Dale Jean Cook. Bountiful, said that as a parent with children chil-dren on all grade levels the program "would be something I'd be willing to try-much try-much more than double sessions." Of the two plans presented at the seminar, she would favor involving elementary and secondary schools, however fearing family disruption if only elementary students were involved. AGREEING THAT economically it could cost as much or even more than current cur-rent programs was Haloyce Hamilton. PTA State Secretary. Even so. she would not advise permanent implementation. "I think it would have to be for temporarily tempor-arily impacted areas. I 'm one of those creatures crea-tures of habit but I feel we do have to look at alternatives. I think the time will come when we will have to have some changes. "It appealed on an educational, rather than economic basis." SUPT. LAWRENCE Welling said of the possibility, "The year-round school concept con-cept is one we need to study and know more about. It is a concept that warrants more study." Mrs. Cook added that the state PTA board has extensively studied the program noting, "We quite like the idea" while Mr. Spencer said he and other DEA officials had studied materials from around the country. |