2011-12 School Calendar Approved

By Eliza Hallabeck

The Board of Education approved the 2011-12 calendar in a 4-2 vote on Tuesday, January 25, without approving or discussing early release days for staff professional development or the district’s conference schedule.

At the start of the discussion, Board of Education Chair William Hart said the early release days, which are scheduled for the first Wednesday of every month in the current school calendar, and the conference schedule are separate issues from the school calendar itself. He said he would like the board to discuss both issues at a later date, “when we have the time to do that thoroughly.”

The school board also heard Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson give a presentation on her recommended school budget for 2011-12 during the meeting. (See related story.)

Members of a volunteer calendar committee were present at the meeting to speak to the board regarding how the committee decided on different elements in the calendar.

“When you put together a committee like this,” said committee member and Middle Gate Principal Christopher Geissler, “there are going to be differing perspectives.”

As Dr Robinson has said in the past, administrators, parents, and teachers were represented in the calendar committee.

One thing Mr Geissler said seemed important to all the members of the committee was to maintain an early end to the academic year.

In the approved 2011-12 calendar, teachers will be starting the school year on August 25 for professional development days, while students will start school August 30. A full week February break was also added to the 2011-2012 calendar, a change from this year’s four-day-long weekend from February 18 to 21. The projected last day of school in the calendar is June 13, the same date that was projected for this year’s calendar.

The committee worked on both the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school calendars, according to Dr Robinson, but only the draft of the 2011-12 school calendar was presented to the Board of Education during its last meeting on Thursday, January 6. Dr Robinson said this was done because the area superintendents are discussing the possibility of creating a regional school calendar. The board postponed deciding on the school calendar during the January 6 meeting to allow time for further discussion.

School board Vice Chair Debbie Leidlein voiced concern during the meeting over the decision to add back a weeklong February break in place of a four-day weekend. She said with the district is looking at the possibility of a regional school calendar, she was hesitant to add a February break if the district may need to remove it again from the following year’s calendar.

Ms Leidlein also wanted to discuss the early release days before approving the 2011-12 school calendar. Her motion to postpone a vote on the school calendar until a decision was made on the early release days was not seconded.

Board member Richard Gaines said he has received a number of communications concerning the school calendar, and a good number of those concerns were against adding a full week break in February.

As Dr Robinson said at the board’s January 6 meeting that the decision to return to a full week break was based on teacher perspectives of students being pulled out of class by parents for a week break anyway. She said this interrupts lessons.

Mr Gaines said that while he appreciates some people look forward to the week for family time, he does not feel the school board is charged with overseeing “family fun time.”

Member Andrew Buzzi said, when voicing his support for the February weeklong break, said he does not look at the time as family fun time, but rather as the board taking into consideration the concerns of the community.

“I think history has shown,” said Mr Hart, “that this is, to some extent, a no-win situation.”

He also said the school calendar committee worked hard, and he respected the group’s efforts.

With the February break in the calendar, as member David Nanavaty pointed out, the projected last day is the same day it was in this year’s calendar.

The calendar passed with Ms Leidlein and Mr Gaines dissenting.