Anyone who's carefully examined their child's school calendar knows that while there is a perception that students have a 180-day school year, the truth is they don't.

The real number of school days varies from district to district and depends on how officials schedule the school year. In Santa Fe, for instance, there are 173 days for elementary students and 174 days for secondary students.

Because of a change in state school law in the 1970s, districts are currently required to fulfill a minimum number of hours ranging from 990 for full-day kindergarten to 1,080 for middle and high school. The law is intended to give districts flexibility in scheduling.

That could change soon if Gov. Bill Richardson signs legislation that would require 180 "full instructional days." Parent-teacher conferences would still be considered "instructional days" under the new law. The changes would not go into effect until the 2010-11 school year.

"I think that having the 180 days is a great idea," said Bill Beacham, principal at Acequia Madre Elementary. Beacham and most principals and teachers say having more time for instruction will benefit students.

"I love it. If I could go all year, I would," said Margo Shirley, principal at Salazar Elementary. "But then I have always been one to say I wish we had more time with these kids."

More and more, teachers complain they don't have enough time to do in-depth teaching, especially given the increased amount of time devoted to testing and test preparation. More time, they say, will also mean art, music and physical education won't cut into instruction time.

There is a catch. Most teachers in New Mexico are on contract to work 183 days. Because districts are able to cram the required instructional hours into fewer than 180 days, officials usually use remaining contract days for teacher planning and professional development.

The proposed changes would leave only three days, under current contracts, for training.

Additional school days also would mean spending more for food services and transportation.

The potential for additional costs already has school district officials concerned about how they will pay for additional days.

"I think it's fine in theory," said Pojoaque Superintendent Art Blea about the proposed change. "I'm not sure how easy it is going to be to apply."

Blea said districts are going to have to choose between having less professional development or finding additional money from sources other than districts' operating budgets. "You got to pay (teachers)," he said. "They won't do it for free."

In Santa Fe, one of the possible results of the change would be the end of half-day Fridays at elementary schools because state law requires five and a half hours per day in elementary school. Currently, teachers use Friday afternoons for planning and training.

Under the proposed changes, students would also have to make up every snow day.

Santa Fe Superintendent Bobbie Gutierrez estimates the change could cost an additional $2.4 million. "We simply could not afford that," she said.

Sheila Hyde, with the state Public Education Department, acknowledged officials were hoping the Legislature would approve a new funding formula, which in turn would have provided more money for professional development. That legislation failed.

Now, Hyde said, districts might have to turn to either the federal stimulus or other federal money to pay for training.

Hyde said there is also a provision in the law that gives the secretary of education the ability to waive the requirements for districts that can prove meeting them would be a hardship.

Contact John Sena at 986-3079 or jsena@sfnewmexican.com.