School day could get longer in Volusia County

It's a new day for Volusia County Public Schools, according to Superintendent Tom Russell, after the county's teachers union and the district have finally agreed on a three-year deal.

Under this new deal, which the school board still needs to sign off on, teachers would receive a 7.5 percent raise over the next three years. Elementary schools would also expand their days by 30 minutes.

"We believe we are going to add 10 minutes to the front of the day and 20 minutes to the end of the day," Russell said.

With required recess, elementary school students having been losing out on quality education, he added.  Twenty minutes would go to teaching, while 10 minutes would be allotted for teacher planning.

Because this change would impact the entire county, middle school and high school schedules would shift accordingly.

"At the end of the day,  we want to offer quality education to students no matter what level they're at and what their needs are," said Russell.

If the school board approves this deal, the changes would go into effect next academic year.   Families could also eventually see a change in early-release Wednesdays. While not part of this deal, Russell said the district may get rid of them, or shift them, depending on feedback.