Don't disrupt schedules of students, parents

We're all in favor of professional development hours for Carson City teachers. We just wonder why they have to disrupt the schedule of every student and parent in the district.

A plan by the school district would have school start two hours late every other Wednesday. We don't know about your household, but we think there are plenty of them out there that scramble to keep to a routine work-and-school schedule - let alone one that fluctuates every other Wednesday.

What exactly are parents supposed to do with their children? Bring them to work? Find a morning babysitter for a couple of hours? Rely on the kindness of relatives?

The schedule seems to be for the convenience of teachers and administrators, to the detriment of students and parents. If so, the priorities are out of whack.

The hours for teacher training need to be set aside in the afternoon - after classes let out for the day. Like a business, Carson City's School District needs to find room in its day and its budget for training. There is no doubt it leads to more productive employees and better results in achieving the goals of improving education.

Unlike a business, however, the school district has three types of customers - students, parents and taxpayers. Saving money for the taxpayers by scheduling training at times otherwise devoted to students, and thereby disrupting the schedules of their parents as well, doesn't seem like an effective use of resources.

We urge the school board to take a second look at this plan and ask school administrators to come up with something more practical.