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Wednesday, May 25, 2011
APS Board OKs Graduation Dates
By Hailey Heinz
Journal Staff Writer
The Albuquerque Public Schools board voted Tuesday to hold next year's graduations the third week of May, keeping to a schedule similar to the one used this year.
Board member David Robbins voted against the calendar, arguing graduations should be held in June.
Earlier this month, board members charged the calendar committee with developing a schedule that would move graduation ceremonies closer to the end of the school year. The reasoning was that seniors finish classes too early and waste most of May.
Graduations typically have been held the second-to-last week of school, leaving the last week for underclassmen finals. Moving those finals to an earlier week would create wasted time for underclassmen.
Administrators told the board it would be costly to hold graduations after the school year is over, because the contracts for teachers, administrators and activities directors end when the school year ends. Those personnel are needed to staff graduations, and would have to either volunteer or be paid for their efforts.
Robbins questioned the need to pay teachers for staffing graduation.
"When I graduated 40 years ago this year, we graduated in June, at the end of the school year, after all classes were out and everything," Robbins said. "What is different now? Because teachers came, I don't think they were necessarily paid, I think they came because they wanted to participate and see their students graduate, and they did it voluntarily. It seems that we've gotten into a system where every time we ask the teacher to do something for the students, they have their hand out, saying 'Pay me.' That, I think, is what's partly wrong with our entire society."
Administrators did propose one change. The new graduation schedule stipulates that seniors must take their finals no more than three school days before graduation. This gives teachers time to make sure seniors pass their classes, but does not leave them with free weeks between finals and graduation.
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