Shorter School Day Not A Popular Idea

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- First Coast News found several parents and students opposed to the Duval County School Board decision to have a shorter class day for High School and Middle School students.

"It's not going to help the students because you're taking away learning time," said Lee High School Senior Devon Shay Troutman.

Troutman wants to go to college to become a registered nurse after she graduates from Lee High School this spring, but she is not thrilled with the School Board's decision to shorten the school day by 45 minutes.

"Those 45 minutes? They need it!" said Troutman, referring to her fellow students across the First Coast.

"They need more than 45 minutes, actually. So I mean it's just going to go hurt them. They'll see it in the long run."

And Troutman is not alone. First Coast News spoke with more than a dozen Lee students and parents who all agreed that in their opinion, cutting the academic day is not the answer to budget shortfalls.

"Their education is being lost now, and this is the opportunity for it to be lost even more," said grandmother Lois Giavropoulos, whose granddaughter is a junior at Lee. "Perhaps cutting the day shorter is not going to affect them as much as not using the time they have now to achieve what they need to achieve."

High Schools would be in class from 7:30 a.m. through 1:30 p.m., while Middle Schools would begin at 9:45 a.m. and go until 4 p.m. The School District says the shorter school day beginning in the fall will save $13 million.

Devon Shay Troutman wonders what the true cost will be in the years ahead.

"(They) want you to get good grades, but we're not going to give you enough time to learn it. You want the schools to do better and get better grades with the FCAT and all the tests that you're giving them, but you're not giving them enough time to learn all the stuff you need them to learn to take the test."

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