By Laura Lane
Moving to the new cycle could save Merrick tens of thousands of dollars annually.
If the Board of Education approves the plan, children will receive their specials - physical education, art, music and foreign language - over six days rather than five, as they currently do. Theresa Ganley, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, introduced the plan. She was unavailable for an interview at press time.
Anthony Cedrone, the assistant superintendent for business and technology, said, "The six-day cycle will go into effect next fall if it's approved by the board, and we should know soon. The district will save $125,000 if it is."
Merrick will realize the savings because it will hire fewer part-time workers, who are currently needed with the five-day cycle. Cedrone believes that there are either four or five part-time workers employed by the district who help with the specials. If the six-day cycle is enacted, the district will only need to use two part-timers.
"When the specials were Monday to Friday, our full-time teachers were often booked," said Cedrone. "With a six-day cycle, we have an additional instructional day, which allows for more flexibility to schedule the specials."
Cedrone added that children will find the six-day cycle easy to understand. "It's harder on the parents," Cedrone joked. "Children get used to it. The hardest time for the children is when they have a break, like the winter break. Then they have to remember what day they left off with, but they remember."
Comments about this story? Llane@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
