Wake school days won't get longer after all

The Wake County Public School System won't be extending its school day after all, a district spokesman said Tuesday.

Last week, the state Board of Education approved a measure to allow school systems to use five additional state-mandated school days for the 2011-12 school year for teacher training instead of academic instruction.

The move came after the General Assembly added the days as part of the new state budget, and local school districts expressed concerns about financial and scheduling implications for the upcoming year.

Wake schools had planned to ask the state Department of Public Instruction to waive the additional five days in exchange for extending the school day by 10 minutes.

Spokesman Michael Evans said that in light of the state board's decision, it is opting for the training.

The waiver only applies for the 2011-12 school year.