Superintendent of Schools Dr Lorrie Rodrigue offered an update on the end of the 2017-18 school year and shared school start times and transportation plans for the 2018-19 school year with the Board of Education at its meeting on May 22.School Start Times For 2018-19

After a "very stressful week," Dr Rodrigue reflected on the new end of the 2017-18 year based on school being closed May 16 to 21 due to ramifications from the May 15 storm. Dr Rodrigue thanked "everyone for their patience" and efforts to get students safely to school for May 22.

The new last day of school is scheduled for June 26, according to Dr Rodrigue. The last three days - June 22, 25, and 26 - will be half-days. The graduation dates for Newtown High School and Newtown Middle School, June 18 and June 19 respectively, will remain as planned. NHS will have a half-day on June 18, and NMS will have a half-day on June 19.

"The high school will then continue their normal final exam schedule; again those are all half-days from [June 19 to 22], with [June 25 and 26] as makeup days only," said Dr Rodrigue.

Responding to questions she said she has heard from district parents, Dr Rodrigue said state waivers to forgive excessive school cancellations are only granted if districts "are at the absolute end of June, that is, June 29," for the last day of school and under the mandated 180 school days.

"Other details about the end of the year days and the expectations for students and staff will be communicated as we move closer," said Dr Rodrigue, who added that she expects the district's school principals will also share information near the end of the school year with parents to make plans clear.

Dr Rodrigue also shared an update on school start time plans for the 2018-19 school year. As presented, the school start times will remain the same as this school year.

After the school district looked at sleep study research and changing school start times in the winter of 2016, the board implemented new school start times for this school year. A Transportation Task Force researched concerns around the newly implemented school start times and new bus system, and its proposals were presented at the school board's March 20 meeting. After those proposals were not voted for at an April 10 Board of Education meeting, Dr Rodrigue presented an "Alternative School Start/Transportation Proposal" at the board's May 1 meeting.

The alternative plan did not include, as previous proposals included, staggering elementary school start times with Reed Intermediate School's start time. This led to discussion at the May 1 meeting about costs associated with having paraeducators watch elementary school students for roughly ten minutes in the morning, the time between being dropped off by school buses and the start of school. According to a handout at the meeting, costs associated with the proposal included approximately $94,900 for paraeducator salaries and roughly $164,560 to provide benefits for some employees who would then work more than 27.5 hours a week.

Due to the change to school start times for the 2017-18 school year, elementary school teachers arrived early throughout this school year to oversee the students arriving earlier.

According to information shared at previous meetings, having Newtown's teachers continuing to provide that service for ten minutes each morning would not be considered as part of their work day.

"After much reflection and work on the very real challenges... regarding our alternative plan on school start time next year," Dr Rodrigue said at the board's May 22 meeting, "it became clear to us that we needed to look in another direction."

District and union leaders worked together, according to Dr Rodrigue, to discuss logistics for school start times and transportation, mainly for Reed and the elementary schools. Dr Rodrigue said the district leaders discussed hiring paraeducators and assessed space in schools where students could go to before going to their classrooms for the start of the day, along with "a host of other concerns." Overall, Dr Rodrigue said the group wanted to make sure the plan for next year is safe for all students and staff.

"We did reach an understanding with the teachers' union," said Dr Rodrigue, adding that "much of what has been implemented this year" both at Reed and the elementary schools will be maintained for next school year.

The current school start times will remain the same for Reed and the elementary schools as they are this year. However, the drop-off procedure will change for Sandy Hook Elementary School. Sandy Hook School buses went to Reed first in the morning this school year, but that will be reversed for next school year to be in line with the other elementary schools. Students that attended Sandy Hook School in 2012 will no longer be students at Reed next school year.

An extra bus will be used for each elementary school in the afternoon, according to Dr Rodrigue, "to further help reduce the number of students on the shuttles."

"Most importantly, this plan will include teachers continuing to greet their students at 8:45 am at the elementary level in their classrooms in the morning," said Dr Rodrigue. "As part of our agreement with members of the teachers' union, elementary teachers will continue to monitor students in the morning, and specials teachers will continue to monitor the students, as they did this year as one of their duties, at the end of the day during dismissal."

After the meeting, Dr Rodrigue explained that keeping this year's start times does not restore five minutes removed from Reed's day this school year.

Dr Rodrigue thanked all Newtown teachers who came together to help negotiate the school start time plan for 2018-19. She added that the agreement with the teachers' union includes having paraeducators assist teachers throughout the day to help alleviate timing issues, and the new agreement will have minimal costs associated with it.

Newtown Federation of Teachers President Tom Kuroski explained on May 23 that kindergarten to sixth grade teachers will receive six personal days for both the 2018-19 school year and 2019-20 school years, instead of the typical five personal days per school year.

Mr Kuroski said the district is "in a better place than where we were. I am thrilled that our leadership team and Dr Rodrigue were able to get together to figure out how best to move forward for teachers and students next year."

Teachers, he said, will receive more detailed information from him in the coming days regarding the decision.

The 2017-18 school year was not easy, Mr Kuroski said, especially with teachers being surprised by tweaks made the summer before the start of the school year.

"I am so impressed with their patience and professionalism throughout the course of the year with something we did not see coming," said Mr Kuroski, adding that effort was made throughout the school year to rectify the situation.

He added that he feels lucky to have an "amazing relationship" with the superintendent, and he is looking forward to continuing the work to improve education "each and every day in Newtown" with the support of Dr Rodrigue and the school board.