School & District Management

Most Ga. Schools Heed Conservation-Minded Call to Close

October 04, 2005 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Gov. Sonny Perdue spent much of last week explaining to Georgia parents and school officials his unexpected, and perhaps unprecedented, decision to ask school districts not to open Sept. 26 and 27.

As Hurricane Rita was approaching the Texas and Louisiana coasts on Sept. 23, a Friday, the governor asked all districts in the state to take what he called two “early snow days” the following Monday and Tuesday as a precautionary measure in order to save fuel.

All but three of the state’s 180 districts heeded the surprise request.

BRIC ARCHIVE

The two days off were expected by the governor to save more than 450,000 gallons of diesel fuel and help keep heating and electricity bills down because schools would be closed for four consecutive days. Observers had predicted that during that time, fuel prices would make a much steeper climb than was ultimately the case.

“In recent weeks, the nation has experienced temporary disruptions of gas supply as a result of Hurricane Katrina,” the Republican governor said in a statement. “While we cannot predict the future, we do know that effective conservation will be a reliable approach as we anticipate the effects of Hurricane Rita.”

Robin Leeds, a spokeswoman for the National School Transportation Association in Alexandria, Va., said it was almost impossible for her to calculate how much fuel closing school for two days would save without knowing how many buses run in the state, how many children they hold, and how many routes are rural or urban.

The voluntary school closings were part of a series of actions the governor took to conserve fuel. He also canceled “nonessential” travel and allowed some telecommuting arrangements for state employees, temporarily relaxed the weight limits on fuel trucks coming into Georgia from Florida, and encouraged private citizens to car pool.

The governor’s initiative received attention from President Bush. During a press conference at the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington last week, the president said Gov. Perdue “showed some leadership” because he anticipated a problem and took steps to address it.

While schools often close at the threat of bad weather, some state and national education observers were unaware of past examples of calls by governors for statewide school closures as a way to save energy.

“We are not aware of any other situations where this has taken place,” said Kara Schlosser, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based Council of Chief State School Officers.

‘Unprecedented Events’

Because most schools were closed Monday and Tuesday of last week, Georgia education officials had to reschedule the state’s high school writing test for Thursday, Sept. 29.

State schools Superintendent Kathy Cox said she sympathized with parents who had to make last-minute arrangements for their children, but expressed her support for the governor’s request.

“While I never like to see classes canceled, unprecedented events call for an unprecedented response,” Ms. Cox, a mother of two school-age children, said in a press release. “While I realize this action will cause an inconvenience for some parents, we must do what we feel is in the best interests of the state.”

While most students had the two days off, students in three Georgia districts attended class as usual. The Floyd County, Rome, and Thomasville districts remained open.

In a letter on the district’s Web site to parents and community members, school officials in Floyd County, north of Atlanta, said that the governor’s request had come too late, and that closing down for two days was “not in the best interest of students” because their schools were already scheduled to be closed on Friday.

The 10,000-student district follows a year-round schedule, and Sept. 30 was set aside as a planning day for teachers before the schools close for a fall intersession.

The letter also said that the district had already been working to conserve fuel.

“The school system began using biofuels for our fleet of buses, and school field trips were canceled until further notice,” the letter said. “Floyd County was one of the first school systems in the state to use environmentally friendly biofuels.”

Jennifer Peppers, a spokeswoman for the district, said that the local response to Floyd County’s decision to stay open was positive.

“A lot of our parents were glad,” said Ms. Peppers, who has three children of her own in the district. She added that her children were also glad because “they like to go see their friends.”

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the October 05, 2005 edition of Education Week as Most Ga. Schools Heed Conservation-Minded Call to Close

Events

Student Achievement K-12 Essentials Forum Learning Interventions That Work
Join this free virtual event to explore best practices in academic interventions and how to know whether they are making a difference.
School & District Management Webinar Fostering Productive Relationships Between Principals and Teachers
Strong principal-teacher relationships = happier teachers & thriving schools. Join our webinar for practical strategies.
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Opinion Education Leaders Share Their Ideas for Handling Political Uncertainty
If you lead long enough, chaos will find you. Here's how to manage it.
8 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
School & District Management There's No Escaping It, Superintendents: Your Jobs Are Political
Superintendents can't avoid the political nature of their work. New resources aim to help.
2 min read
Illustration of neutral warning symbols, with two standing out in the colors red and blue.
filo/DigitalVision Vectors + EdWeek
School & District Management Q&A Schools Need to Teach the ‘New Basics’ to Prepare Kids for Careers, Leaders Say
A school superintendents group's "Public Education Promise" focuses on preparing students for a changing workforce.
6 min read
David Schuler, executive director of AASA, The School Superintendents Association, speaks at the organization's National Conference on Education on March 6, 2025, in New Orleans.
David Schuler, executive director of AASA, The School Superintendents Association, speaks at the organization's National Conference on Education on March 6, 2025, in New Orleans.
Sandy Huffaker/AASA
School & District Management 2025 Superintendent of the Year Honored for Building Career-Focused Academies
The newly named superintendent of the year focused on course offerings that could prepare students for local, high-wage jobs.
2 min read
Walter Gonsoulin Jr., was named National Superintendent of the Year on March 6, 2025. Gonsoulin is the superintendent of the Jefferson County school district in Alabama.
Walter Gonsoulin Jr. was named National Superintendent of the Year on March 6, 2025, at the National Conference on Education in New Orleans. Gonsoulin is the superintendent of the Jefferson County school district in Alabama.
Courtesy of AASA, The School Superintendents Association