Schools

Morris Plains Students to Start 20 Minutes Earlier

Extended days will bring schools more in line with state average.

The announced last week that school days will be extended by 20 minutes for the 2012-13 school year for both schools in the district.

Starting in the fall, the school days at Borough and Mountain Way will start 20 minutes earlier than previous years. At Borough School, the day will start at 8:05 a.m., and Mountain Way will start at 8:25 a.m.

Both schools will keep their same schedule for dismissal times; with 2:45 p.m. for Mountain Way and 3:05 p.m. for Borough.

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The changes were made to the mornings to avoid interfering with after-school activities.

District Superintendent Dr. Ernest Palestis said part of reason for this change is for the district to be closer to the state average.

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The state average for both Borough and Mountain Way schools is 5 hours and 42 minutes. The new time change puts Borough School above the state average at 5 hours and 48 minutes, and Mountain Way is still slightly under at 5 hours and 25 minutes.

Palestis said the board is still working on the the master schedule, but the 20 minutes will go into instructional time everyday. He said the extra time will have a cumulated effect because the 20 minutes for every day of the school year adds up to much more time with the teachers.

"We have excellent teachers in the district, and this will enable us to utilize the strengths of our staff in a more efficient way," Palestis said. "Obviously, it's important to be in the classroom learning, and 20 minutes a day will make a big difference."


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