Students and teachers in the Muscogee County School District could have an extra ten minutes of class time and an extra two days of Spring Break this school year due to state budget cuts.

The school district is anticipating a $4.8 million cut in funding from the state for the 2010 fiscal year. The reduction includes three days of salaries for the district, about $2 million.

To make up for the funding decrease, administrators are considering changing the school calendar for the rest of this year by taking away three work days for faculty and staff and adding ten minutes onto each school day.

Under the proposed change, schools operating on a traditional calendar would be closed April 1, 2, and 30 and schools operating on a year-round calendar would be closed March 8 and 9 and May 28.

April 30 and May 28 are both inservice days, when students are not in school. April 1 and 2 are the Thursday and Friday before Spring Break, which is April 5 through 9.

To make up for the lost instruction time, the school day would be extended an extra ten minutes. Elementary students would take classes from 8:45 to 3:25, middle school students would take classes from 8:25 to 3:40 and high school students would take classes from 7:45 to 2:55.

The Muscogee County School Board will vote on the proposed calendar change during a board meeting in February. If approved, the change will take effect on Feb. 22.