In its meeting on Tuesday, June 5, the Griffin-Spalding County Board of Education reinstated 2 student days and 3 professional learning days for employees for the 2012-13 calendar based on the improved financial condition of the school system.

The reinstated instructional (student) days are:
• Thursday, January 3, 2013
• Friday, January 4, 2013

The January professional learning days originally scheduled for January 3 & 4 are rescheduled for December 19 and May 31.

The reinstated employee work days are:
• Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, February 19-21, 2013

**Dates might vary based on individual employee work schedules.

The change in revenue, that made it possible to add back five days to employees' work schedules, comes from several sources:
• cost reduction proposals of $3 million adopted earlier by the board of education
• better instructional models in 2011-12 that brought increased state funding
• funds saved by positions not filled in central office and schools
• step raises not given to employees in several years
• changes to the state equalization grant formula driving more funds to lower wealth systems
• positive changes in the local tax digest

Stephanie Dobbins, Director of Human Resources, said, "When so many school systems are having to increase work schedule adjustment days and reduce school days, we are excited that we can reinstate half of what had been removed from next year's calendar. The two additional school days will be in January, so they will positively impact the instruction that leads up to testing. We wish we could add more student days, but we could not do so without drastically changing the rest of the calendar. Professional learning days were added because of the learning and implementation requirements of the new common core curriculum. As a result of these additional days, employees will see an increase in their paychecks."