By Megan Kelley
Review Writer
During a public hearing held on April 10, Lake Orion Community Schools spoke with Chad Urchike from the office of financial management within Michigan’s Department of Education in regards to a pre-labor day start waiver.
Under Michigan law, schools must hold a public hearing before a waiver can be approved by the state, said Urchike.
It was a relatively empty room with no community members present at the hearing.
“Our position…is the calendar is a negotiated item…we already have a calendar for next year. So really this is just giving us the option on 2021 to begin with potentially looking at a pre-labor day start. We’re not even sure that’s the direction we want to go at this point, but we want that option availible to us so that when we do enter into collective barganing that is an option we want to explore,” said Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Rick Arnett. “We want to be very clear with the public that this is not a done deal and this is not anything that we have finalized at any point.”
With no public present to object, the State Department of Education approved the pre-labor day start waiver without issue for three years starting in 2020-21.
“The district can choose to implement the waiver at your discretion at any point during that three year period,” Urchike said.