Written by: Seth Gordon, Newberg Graphic 

Newberg and St. Paul districts don't currently have to add days to make up for snow days, but others in worse shape could get relief from Oregon Department of Education

Snow days, delayed starts and "inclement weather time" are the phrases dominating the conversations of school administrators across the state, as many districts have lost so much instructional time that they may have to add school days to the end of the school year to compensate.

Those discussions have made their way to the state level as the state board of education is set to ponder options to alleviate some of the pressure on districts at its Thursday meeting in Salem.

Despite taking a handful of snow days and late starts, both the Newberg and St. Paul school districts are on track to narrowly meet state regulations for high school instructional time, but should they lose any more school days to weather, both would benefit if the Oregon Department of Education opts to loosen any requirements.

According to Newberg Superintendent Kym LeBlanc-Esparza, the state will consider giving district's a one-year exemption in which they can count up to 14 hours of "inclement weather time" in their total instructional time, which must be 900 hours or greater for grades K-8 and at least 990 hours for high school students.

As recently as three years ago, districts could include that much inclement weather time, along with professional development for teachers, in their total, but removed those exceptions beginning in the 2015-2016 school year.

"Last week they began the conversation around potentially reinstating that just for the year, which is at least two days in there," LeBlanc-Esparza said. "If we have to, that could be a potential relief valve."

Because the minimum requirement is so much lower, neither district is in much danger of having to make up time at the elementary or middle school levels, but having cancelled five days of school and started two hours late three others, Newberg's cushion is down to 140 minutes at the high school, according to LeBlanc-Esparza.

St. Paul Superintendent Joe Wehrli said the high school can lose only lose four more hours this year after holding two half days, canceling two full days and starting late twice due to weather.

Even with the potential of getting relief from the state, both districts are exploring potential options should they lose any more time, but adding school days at the end of the year appears to be a last resort that should be avoided if possible.

According to LeBlanc-Esparza, eliminating late starts and early releases are a popular option among schools that have lost more time.

"We also had a conversation about the possibility of lengthening the school day, though with spring sports that might be a challenge," Wehrli said. "But we're looking at a couple of different options so we're ready if we need to make that decision."