On of the most divisive issues inside the Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD#2) boundary was examined in depth during January’s board meeting at the new Medicine Bow Elementary School Monday night.

A new schedule or schedules will be voted on at the Feb. 15 board meeting at the Central Office, and many people of the Platte Valley differ in their opinions of whether the five or four-day schedule is best for students of CCSD#2.

CCSD#2 Superintendent Bob Gates said that after speaking with the board and principals, the schedule recommendation for the board will be a 165-day, five-day-a-week, district-wide schedule, with 10 high-impact Fridays, and another 10 teacher in-service days.

“I truly believe that a five-day schedule is best for our kids, and I have gone through studies that say five days are better, especially for elementary students,” Board Vice-Chairman Jim Hill said.

“You can’t tell me we are not losing content when we lose five hours a week,” he added.

Board member Susan Wallace and Chairman Jim Larscheid both agreed that data did not show state assessment scores as being lower or higher as a result of the four-day schedule that is currently in place.

Hill also said he “would hate to see students lose Hathaway scholarships because they cannot pass parts of the ACT (standardized test).”

Several CCSD#2 school principals, board members, and residents with children in the district disagreed that the recommended schedule will be best for the all the schools in the district.

Saratoga Middle/High School (SMHS) Principal Larry Uhling commented that “for our school, the four-day schedule is best.”

Hanna-Elk Mountain-Medicine Bow (H.E.M.) Principal Dale Kari added said that the board would “take a step backwards” if it instituted a district-wide schedule.

Saratoga resident Jack Berger told the board that he was initially reluctant to accept a four-day schedule for two of his children in the Saratoga Elementary School, but saw both excel in the current system.

“I sure hope that you listen to this group here,” Berger said, after the board heard the principals speak.

Board Member Peggy Hayes said that she was opposed to what was called a compromise of a schedule.

In other business, the board  approved a motion to open three positions in the district for intervention teachers for one year only.

The intervention program has three tiers in which students are assessed, tier one containing students who are learning at the appropriate pace and tier three comprising students who need “major help” in order to stay at grade-level.

The teachers will be funded by a grant which will cover new hires for the intervention vacancies.