GREENE – Local schools are struggling with how to make up a pile of snow days that rival the massive snowbanks lining their roads.

Wednesday was storm day No. 13 for SAD 52, which comprises Turner, Greene and Leeds. Maine Department of Education spokesman David Connerty-Marin said Thursday he has not heard of a district with more snow days to make up.

Because SAD 52 had five storm days built into its schedule, it needs to make up eight. To figure out how, Superintendent Darlene Burdin has sent a survey home to parents seeking their input. Options include:

• Converting teacher workshop days to regular class days;

• Extending the school year;

• Making up time during the April vacation; or

• Holding half-days on Saturdays.

A make-up day must be a minimum of three hours, according to the education department.

No decision has been made on which options to pursue, Burdin said.

Talk of the town

The topic was the buzz at the IGA store on Thursday, said employee Katie Kelley, who has two children at Greene Central School and has filled out the superintendent’s survey.

“The only thing I marked down is taking away teacher workshops,” Kelley said. She’s not in favor of extending the year or of holding school on Saturdays.

“My children are in kindergarten and first grade. Six days a week is too much for them. I think they should waive some of the snow days and let them get out. They did that during the ice storm.”

April vacation?

Several parents interviewed Thursday favored holding classes during April vacation. One option on the survey is to hold school on only Friday of that week.

“Go the entire April vacation; they’ve already had a vacation,” said Cindy Morin, who has children in grades one, two and three.

Morin is not in favor of extending the school year, saying it’s too hot for youngsters to be in school during the summer. Nor is she in favor of school on Saturdays. That’s important family time, she said.

She doesn’t envy Superintendent Burdin or anyone who has to decide whether to hold or cancel school. Some days she’s wondered why school was called off, then one day a bus went off a road in Leeds. “If I was in that place, I would call it, too. It’s a big responsibility,” Morin said.

End of the year?

Leavitt Area High School senior Candice Gray hopes makeup days are added to the end of the school year “so seniors don’t have to go,” she said with a grin.

All of the school cancellations are affecting classes, Gray said, especially the three advanced placement courses she’s taking: U.S. history, biology and English. Missing so many classes will make the AP exams tougher, she said.

Gloria Varney of Nezinscot Farm in Turner, a mother of two at Leavitt, said she was puzzled about why school wasn’t delayed Wednesday like at other schools. Also on Monday, classes were canceled to allow teachers to make up a workshop called off in December. “That made no sense to me,” Varney said. “Let the teachers come back on a Saturday.”

Varney is not in favor of extending the school year. “Having the kids in school through the end of June puts a damper on farming,” she said. She favors lengthening the school day, or taking time away from the April vacation, though many people already have scheduled trips.

She said she could live with the three half-day Saturdays on Burdin’s survey: March 15, April 12 and May 31. “It’s not like it’s every Saturday for two months.”

The deadline for parents to return the survey to schools was Wednesday, a snow day.

“Isn’t that ironic?” asked Morin.