Schools

Educators eliminate February Vacation

April vacation remains intact, for the time being.

More time was spent discussing which days to add to the school calendar as a result of snow days then was spent on amending the budget. The upshot is that Feb. 17, a scheduled half day for teacher training, is now a full day. Feb. 18 and 21, scheduled as days off, are now school days.

 The Board was under fire from Kimber Windes, a King Street Primary School parent,  who suggested the Board of Education get rid of February break and development day, keep April break, and requested for these days to be written into calendar by planning for the future. The response of many of the officials was that in their entire careers they had never seen a year with weather like this. Board of Education member Irving Fox said, “We will need to look at the calendar differently in future years.”

The decision to take away the February days of vacation were based on several factors. Out of more than 5,000 responses to a robo-call survey of parent and teacher preferences, more than 3,200 respondents preferred to eliminate February days rather than April. Several families called in to say that they felt that the April vacation was more important. In fact, there is no record that the April vacation has ever been canceled.

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School Superintendent Sal Pascarella, Ph.D., said, “We usually put the snow days at the end of the year, but this has been a very different year.”

 Bill Glass, Board of Education member, said, “Our tentative last day of school is June 15, we have plenty of time until June 30th.”

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 The conversation rallied back and forth between the possibility of extending the school year to the end of June, but Glass said, “Come June, everyone says it's too hot. When the classroom gets to be over 90 degrees the school should be shut down, it's actually dangerous.”

 Richard Janelli said, “Other districts who start their calendar earlier have an easier time. We started later than most districts.”

 Both Glass and Kim Thompson, Director of Human Resources, made note that teachers have been complaining of the lack of continuity in their instruction due to so many days missed and that missing any more days in February would have a negative impact on the students.

 While everyone seemed to be in agreement about eliminating the days from February's calendar, there was concern about the adjustments teachers would have to make. Thompson mentioned the tricky situation facing teachers who can prove they made plans in advance. They would be granted the days off while those who did not would be forced to work. She said, “We're not sure how to handle this. Those who stay and work will be angry. Brainstorming is needed.”

 Janelli added, “We're not sure how teachers will be compensated or not, or penalized, is this something we have to put into policy?”  He was told it was not.

 In summing up the situation, Pascarella said, “It has been an episodic year with unfortunate effects.” He also added that just because April vacation still remains on the calendar doesn't mean it will stay there. “We are only halfway through the winter.”


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