Whitcomb 'Needs More Time for Learning'

Whitcomb Middle School's principal suggested swapping out excess lunch time for more classroom time Tuesday night at the School Committee meeting.

“The Whitcomb School needs more time on learning," said Principal Mary Murphy at the School Committee Meeting Tuesday night.

The issue is something Murphy said has been discussed by the School Council, but she wanted to voice it for everyone to hear. The principal said she would love to extend the day by 15 minutes if a transportation solution could be figured out.

"I love your 15 minutes," said Committee Member Katherine Hennessy in support of Murphy. "I would love to up you more than 15 minutes if I could."

Because the day can't be longer, Murphy said they will focus on freeing up some of the time while students are already at school. A 43-minute lunch period for the 6, 7 and 8th graders is too long, she said, saying an effort would be made to add additional education into the middle of the day.

Committee Member Margaret Dwyer said that extending the day — as Charter Schools are allowed — is something that should be addressed during teacher contract negotiations.

“It’s something that we should be talking about and laying the foundation for moving forward,” she said.

Murphy said that ultimately the issue comes down to busing at the middle school as representatives of the teachers have said they would be on board for the longer days.

What Do You Think? Do your children need more learning time at the price of less lunch time?