There’s at least one thing Governor Rick Snyder said during his State of the State speech Thursday that teachers unions can get behind.
As The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Jake Neher reports, there seems to be wide support to move toward year-round schooling.
The governor says students have to play serious catch-up every time they return from their 2 ½ month summer break. He wants to create state incentives to encourage school districts to go year-round.
David Hecker is president of the American Federation of Teacher of Michigan. He says he likes the idea – but that districts should consult teachers first before they get rid of traditional summer vacation.
“A lot of times during the summer is when teachers go to get continuing education credits, time off to regroup, time off to have concentrated time to really work on lesson plans for the future,” he says.
Under Governor Snyder’s plan, schools would have the same number of vacation days – they would just be spread out more throughout the year.