Waukegan Teachers' Strike Pushes End Of School Year Back Two Weeks
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Students in Waukegan originally were supposed to wrap up the school year next week, but thanks to a month-long teachers strike last fall, classes have been extended an additional two weeks.
Instead of having the last day of school on June 3, the more than 16,000 students in Waukegan Public School District 60 will be hitting the books until June 17.
Other days lost to the teachers strike in October were made up by cutting out scheduled vacation time earlier in the school year – mostly by shaving off days from winter and spring breaks.
"We shortened winter break, the holiday break, by two days. So instead of starting on Monday, it started on a Wednesday; and then when it came to spring break, spring break essentially became a four-day weekend for us," District 60 spokesman Nick Alajakis said
The district also eliminated days off for Presidents Day and Martin Luther King Day.
Alajakis said there has not been any grumbling yet over having classes two weeks longer than scheduled, but he expects some once the original end-of-school day arrives in a week. The district also is hoping the summer heat holds off a bit longer.
"Many of our buildings are older, and only one of our 24 school buildings is actually fully air conditioned," Alajakis said.
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Alajakis said Waukegan students are lucky the state allowed administrators to declare a couple "snow days" last winter "act of God days" that did NOT have to be made up.
Extending the school year to make up days affected more than students, teachers, and parents.
"They got a call from a florist about a week ago, asking if something had changed with high school graduation, because they hadn't received any flower orders," Alajakis said.
