The money he made as a teacher wasn't enough to support his large family, so he worked evenings and summers in construction.

All that changed, however, when he began teaching on an extended contract years ago. He worked more hours, made more money and dumped the second job.

"I was able to afford things I'd never been able to afford before," said the Oakcrest Elementary School teacher. "My children had never been on a vacation because I couldn't afford one."

In many ways, fifth- and sixth-grade Oakcrest teachers such as Lance are already doing what many legislators would like to see spread throughout the state. They work nearly year-round, and their students attend in shifts, which means about 30 percent more money for the teachers and less building and personnel costs for the school.

In the face of Utah's teacher shortage and booming student enrollment, many legislators and state leaders believe the time has come to seriously consider extending the school year for teachers.

So far, lawmakers have warmed to at least three bills aimed at paying teachers more by extending the school year. One bill, HB67, would extend the year for special educators. Another bill, HB270, would offer school districts competitive grants to extend the year for math and science teachers as a way to pay them more and provide more instruction for students.

The third bill, SB41, sponsored by Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, seeks to eventually spread a model similar to Oakcrest's throughout the state. The bill, SB41, asks for $32 million to encourage at least three school districts to switch to extended-year schedules. Teachers could teach year-round, but students would attend in shifts. Schools that participate would need fewer teachers, fewer buildings and could pay teachers 40 percent more with the money saved, Stephenson said.

"The intent of the bill is to move Utah schools into the 21st century, and abandon the agrarian school calendar, which has forced a three-month layoff for every teaching professional," Stephenson said. "If we are going to provide a reasonable salary for all of our teachers . . . we need to change the way we're doing business."

Stephenson believes if the three school districts successfully attract more teachers with the extended contracts, other districts would eventually switch schedules to keep up.

Oakcrest Principal Norman Emerson said his school has had much success finding fifth- and sixth-grade teachers since it adopted the extended contract model. The strategy has also helped Oakcrest accommodate its 1,600 students in limited classroom space.

But others wonder about the reality behind such a large-scale switch for schools in other districts. They wonder how some parents would feel about possibly losing summer vacation. And many teachers would rather have their summers off than the extra money.

"Those breaks in between help energize us," said first-grade Oakcrest teacher Bobbie Evans, who like most Oakcrest teachers teaches about nine months a year. "What we do is mentally and physically draining." She'd rather see larger starting salaries for teachers or loan forgiveness.

Jordan School District Superintendent Barry Newbold said the bills to extend the school year for special education and math and science teachers sound promising. He hopes the first bill would help to ease the state's shortage of special education teachers. He said the second bill could both help to retain more math and science teachers and give students enrichment opportunities.

But he said Stephenson's bill probably wouldn't work for Jordan because the district is in the middle of splitting. He said the bill also presents other challenges. He wonders, for example, how a high school could adopt such an extended-year model without interrupting sports and other activities. He also worries that not all families would get the vacations they wanted.

Oakcrest parent Kristine Davis said she doesn't mind the alternate breaks, but knows other parents who miss their children's summer vacations.

"Tradition is a very hard thing to break," Newbold said.

Rep. Brad Last, R-St. George, who is co-chairman of the public education appropriations subcommittee with Stephenson, said he'd like to see the bill changed so schools could switch to extended-year and contract models gradually.

Utah Education Association President Kim Campbell said she's also interested in the first two bills, but has some questions about Stephenson's. She's concerned about the $32 million price tag and would rather leave strategies up to communities.

In fact, many school districts already have their own ways of dealing with teacher shortages, heavy enrollment and pay. Jordan already has 30 schools on year-round schedules, including several like Oakcrest that offer extended contracts for teachers, Newbold said. Granite School District has 16 teachers on extended year contracts and more than 300 teachers teaching one or two extra periods a day for more money, said district spokesman Randy Ripplinger.

And Alpine School District elementary teachers work extended days for more pay. Higher-grade teachers often teach extra class periods.

"We're already doing some innovative and creative things," said Rhonda Bromley with Alpine.

Still, Stephenson and many other legislators believe the incentive money might be the nudge Utah schools need to try something new.

Oakcrest fifth-grade math teacher Jerry Mangus believes the time to break tradition has come.

Mangus works on an extended contract primarily because he loves teaching math. He loves that Oakcrest's model allows him to teach math full time using an innovative computer-based approach he has developed.

He's the type of award-winning, passionate math teacher state leaders are falling over themselves for, and the extra money has helped to keep him in the classroom.

"It wasn't like I got a little bit more. I got a lot more," Mangus said. "When I got that first paycheck, it was like, 'Whoa, this is what normal people make.' "

lschencker@sltrib.com

At least three bills that would extend the school year for teachers are moving through the Legislature, including:

* Extended School Year Incentive, SB41: This bill would offer $32 million in incentive money to three school districts that could come up with the best plans of how to pay teachers 40 percent more by extending the school year. Students would attend in shifts throughout the year. The bill passed the Senate 25-1 and now heads to the House.

* Extended Year for Special Educators, HB67: This bill would allow special education teachers to work up to 10 additional days a year for an extra $200 a day. They could use that time to work on Individualized Education Programs. The bill passed the House 62-0 and passed a Senate committee.

* Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative Centers, HB270: This bill would offer competitive grants to school districts to extend the school year for math and science teachers. This would mean more pay for teachers and more math and science instruction for students. The bill passed the House 73-0 and passed a Senate committee.