This summer, most Duneland School buildings will be open only four days a week, under a work schedule similar to the austerity measure first enacted last summer.

The Duneland School Board on Monday approved the summer work schedule, which mainly affects school administrative and classified staff members. Regular business hours will be held the first week of summer break, from June 6 to 10, when the work week will consist of five eight-hour days. But after that, through August 1, the staff members will work four, 10-hour days on most weeks.

The exception is the week of July 4, when the offices and buildings will be open for four, eight-hour days Tuesday through Friday.

The work schedule affects all school employees except for those at Chesterton High School, due to the summer school programs.

Generally, the Administration Center will be open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday during the four day work weeks.

Duneland Superintendent Dirk Baer said the reduced hours worked well last summer and helped cut costs by keeping the buildings closed an extra day. All offices will resume normal business hours starting the week of August 1.

In personnel matters, the school board approved the following resignations: Marcia Arnold, Chesterton Middle School Spanish teacher; Patricia Krewett, CHS German teacher; and Krystal Blaylock, Bailly Elementary, Remediation and Title Aide.

Also Monday, the school board was treated to a presentation by Yost Elementary second grade students, who read their original writings about dinosaurs.

Yost Principal Anne Stillman said writing skills are one of Yost’s school improvement goals and that the works by the students incorporate the six traits of good writing, including voice and presentation.

The students who read their works in front of the school board were: Amelia Thupvong, Katie Hansen, Ellery Brunt, Anna Guzek, Luke Lombardini, Jaden Juarez, Allison Christian, Peyton Martinson, Alyssa Montes-Atchison, and Brock Ellis.

Also Monday, the school board approved a 5-cent increase in school lunch prices to comply with a federal law dealing with equity in lunch prices.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 requires schools participating in the national school lunch program to adjust their lunch prices, or provide non-federal funding, to offset any difference in lunch prices between the higher federal reimbursement provided to schools for free lunches and the lower federal reimbursement provided for paid lunches.

Accordingly, the lunch prices will now go to $2.15 for K-6, $2.35 for 7-12 and $3 for adult lunches.

In other matters, the school board terminated a special pay deferral plan first established in 2002 for classified staff. Very few retirees have been participating in the plan, said Assistant Superintendent David Pruis.

The board also agreed to advertise for bids the Westchester Intermediate School interior office remodeling and new entry vestibule project that was outlined at last month’s meeting.

The school board also revised its next board meetings. The May 2 meeting has been rescheduled to May 16, and the June 6 meeting has been rescheduled to June 7.