Oconee school brass head for Columbia

At 1 o’clock this afternoon Oconee’s top school administrators are due in the Columbia meeting room of the South Carolina State Board of Education. District Superintendent Dr. Michael Thorsland and Associate Superintendent Steve Hanvey are to appear before the panel that sets statewide education policy to get a feel or a decision on whether the state board would be willing to waive a requirement that a school year may not start before the third Monday of August. If such a waiver would be forthcoming, the Oconee district would be free to move up the start of their 2020-21 calendar by one week for the purpose of easing pressure on the rest of that year’s calendar. As indicated by Hanvey, Oconee might not get its decision today, but Thorsland believes it’ll have the decision by summer which would give Oconee school trustees enough time to set the 2020-21 calendar. The calendar for 2019-20 already establishes that schools will open August 19. One reason for establishing a 2020-21 calendar as soon as possible is to give parents and teachers notice so that they can make their appropriate summer time plans.