Wilkes County Schools Superintendent Dr. Steve Laws says district officials have had to take a hard look at finances, with the state budget still not completed and the start of school looming in about a month. In an interview with 3WC’s Angela Henley on last week’s Focus on the Foothills, Laws said the focus has been on retaining as many teacher jobs as possible:
Teaching Assistants will work ten-percent fewer hours this school year, a fact Laws acknowledges hurts their families quite a bit. He believes the action is preferable to having to get rid of several teaching assistants or teachers. Laws says he doesn’t want people to get the wrong idea: he’s not a supporter of shortening the school year:
The calendar approved by the school board, which is awaiting Legislative approval as a pilot project, shortens the school calendar by 18 days by lengthening the school days by 45 minutes. You can hear the full interview with Dr. Laws on our podcast page at 1240-3wc.com, and we’ll have more excepts in upcoming 3WC newscasts.
