Fayette schools opts not to scrap virtual days, will combine them with snow days
Fayette County Public Schools will continue to have virtual learning, or non-traditional instruction days, this winter in addition to traditional snow days, district officials said Thursday.
The announcement comes after FCPS Superintendent Demetrus Liggins recommended in August the district discontinue NTI days as a cost-cutting measure in the cash-strapped district.
On Tuesday, the district canceled school after the region received overnight snow accumulation. Several other area districts opted for an NTI day instead, prompting questions from parents about whether the district had adopted Liggins’ recommendation.
Though district officials on Thursday clarified they would still make use of NTI days, they noted in a news release that they are less effective than traditional school days.
“While NTI helps keep students on track, it simply is not as effective as in-person learning in the classroom,” district officials said. “When students are not physically in school for breakfast and lunch, the federal food service program does not reimburse the district for lost revenue, and FCPS must still pay for staff labor costs, too. We lose about $150,000 per NTI day, and that money comes out of the district’s general fund.”
FCPS typically has four more days in its instructional calendar than Kentucky law requires, so the school board often waives up to four weather make-up days.
Therefore, the district said, food service costs would be similar whether they use up to four NTI days or waive regular snow days.
The district also noted that students taking advanced placement courses don’t have a chance to make up for lost time when college schedules and exams remain fixed.
On NTI days, districts create plans to deliver instruction to every student and provide virtual interaction with teachers, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.
Kentucky’s Commissioner of Education can approve up to 10 NTI days to count toward student attendance days for each school year.