How much is it worth, in terms of dollars and potential negative impact on the magnet school program, to reduce bus ride times in Wake County?

Bob Snidemiller, senior director of transportation, told school board members last week that they could reduce more bus ride times for non-magnet students to 45 minutes or less. But it would require buying more buses.

The number of new buses needed would depend on whether all magnet routes were switched to express runs, something the new majority would likely not back.

We can now officially say that the Wake County school system won't have to require students to spend five more days in class this fall.

Wake was among the 77 waiver requests for the 2011-12 school year approved this week by State Schools Superintendent June Atkinson. The school districts said that in lieu of requiring students to spend five more days in school they'd use the time to train teachers on the new core curriculum standards.

Learn to embrace the new common core of standards that could result in a nationwide education curriculum.

Wake County school officials said today they will drop plans to add an additional 10 minutes to the school day as part of their effort to temporarily circumvent the new state requirement for a longer school year for students .

Instead, Wake will take advantage of the process set up Friday by the state Board of Education to get waivers without having to add the additional days or hours. Wake will request a waiver to provide teachers more training on the common core of standards.

It looks like Wake County students won't have to be in school for an additional 10 minutes a day this fall.

The state Board of Education agreed today on a process that will allow school districts to get a waiver from adding the additional five days of instruction for the 2011-12 school year. School districts would have to show how they're using those five days as teacher workdays to enhance student achievement.

Perhaps just as importantly for Wake parents, attorneys for the state Board said districts couldn't be required to add in the additional 25 hours of instruction to get waiver. They said district either had to have 185 days and 1,025 hours or waivers had to be granted for both.

Wake County parents and school officials could have a better handle on Friday on whether school will be extended by 10 minutes a day this fall and whether a state waiver will be granted.

As noted in today's article, the state Board of Education will hold a conference call meeting at 11:30 a.m. Friday to discuss how to handle waivers and implementation o the new 185-day school calendar for 2011-12. You can go to www.ncpublicschools.org/stateboard/meetings/ to access the link for this meeting.

While no decisions are expected to be made on individual waivers on Friday, the meeting should tell districts what parameters would be followed for granting requests.

It may be possible for Wake County schools to get its state waiver without having to add in the 10 extra minutes each day into the 2011-12 school year.

The Wake school board voted tonight to tack 10 minutes to the end of the day for all schools as part of the waiver request to the State Baord of Education. But Chief Academic officer Donna Hargens said that they're hoping the State Board will say the extra time isn't need to get a waiver.

Wake isn't sure how the state Board will handle requests from districts who want waivers from the new requirement that the school year be extended by five days and that 25 more instructional hours be added as well.

Today's Wake County school board discussion should be action packed from the work session straight through to the annual meeting and regular meeting.

The thing that will likely most generate attention on the work session agenda is Superintendent Tony Tata presenting what's expected to be a modified form of the original blue plan to the board. One key question could be whether the board balks at the lack of base assignments.

Other work session topics include:

In theory, school leaders think it's a good idea for students to have a longer school year.

But as noted in today's article, Triangle school administrators are looking for ways not to implement the new requirement mandated by state legislators to expand the school year by five days and with 25 more hours of instruction.

Wake's approach is to add the hours without adding the additional days. Wake Superintendent Tony Tata has said this change, having the 25 hours spread out over 180 days, "accomplishes the intent" legislators had by putting the 25 hours over five more days.

Here's how Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata plans to avoid having to extend the school year by five days.

Tata will ask the school board tomorrow to modify the 2011-12 bell schedules to add 10 minutes into the school day. Every school would start five minutes earlier and end five minutes later as part of a plan to add 25 hours of instructional time.

The revised bell schedule would then be submitted to the State Board of Education as part of a request asking for a waiver from the new requirement that schools add five more days into the school year.

Wake County school administrators are recommending that only Leesville Road Middle and West Lake Elementary change their bell schedules for the 2011-12 school year.

In recommendations being presented at today's school board work session, staff is calling for leaving almost all the schools on their current times. Leesville would run from 8:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. instead of 8:05 a.m. to 3 p.m. West Lake would run from 8:20 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. instead of 8:20 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The new Walnut Creek Elementary would run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. This would be 45 minutes more than the typical elementary school schedule, potentially allowing for more instructional time.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST FOR LIST OF 2011-12 SCHOOL BELL SCHEDULES