IF SCHOOLS were sawmills, churning out 2 X 4s by the thousands, extending a working day by six minutes to justify closing up shop by one week to make for a two-week spring break just might make sense.

But schools don’t operate in a world where production can be measured in board feet of lumber.

Instead that six extra minutes will evaporate as spring dew on a warm day, something that looks nice shimmering in the morning’s sun but which is a distant memory by noon.

That’s why the Coast Mountains school board’s decision to opt for a two-week spring holiday is so mystifying.

It regularly commits itself to improving the academic standing of its students. But tacking on six minutes a day in hopes something will stick to the mind of a student and then closing the doors to those same young minds for two weeks seems a curious way to turn things around. Before making its decision, did the board consider any academic research which would back up such a move?

Instead, board members spoke about how nice a longer break would be for those who wanted to go on a vacation. True enough. But vacations are the reserve for those with the necessary income, the means and who are fortunate to have readily compliant employers. For a number of reasons not everyone can cope with a two-week closure. It’s almost as if this decision will benefit a minority rather than the majority.