Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RICHARD JENKINS
Ewen — The Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District continues to seek an earlier start date for its six locals districts, scheduling a public hearing on the issue in April.
The GOISD submitted its application for an earlier start date to the state March 11.
The hearing, set for a 4 p.m. EST April 23 at the GOISD’s Bergland office, means the application has made it through the initial part of the approval process.
“We’re in the second step of the process,” said GOISD superintendent Bruce Mayle. “What (state officials) really want to know is, what concerns does the community have regarding an early start; and if we’re able to address those, they also want to make sure we meet the criteria for approval from the state’s perspective.”
Mayle said he expects the state to decide whether the GOISD academic calendar can start early at the end of the hearing.
“Hopefully we’ll have that that same day, while they’re on the phone,” he said. “That’s my goal anyway.”
A state law passed in 2005 mandates districts start school after Labor Day, but allows a waiver for certain conditions.
One of the exceptions can be for districts that have certain programs with their local colleges to allow the academic calendars to sync up.
The GOISD participates in an early middle college program in Career Technical Education.
The program allows “students entering their junior year of high school (to) have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma, a significant number of college credits and possibly an associate degree over three years,” Mayle wrote in the Daily Globe’s 2016 Education Progress section.
The exact start date for the districts in the GOISD will be determined if the waiver is granted.
The GOISD is made up of the Ironwood, Bessemer, Wakefield-Marenisco, Watersmeet, Ewen-Trout Creek and Ontonagon school districts.
Labor Day is Sept. 2 this year.
