Board Postpones Vote

On School Calendar

By Eliza Hallabeck

After Board of Education Chair Debbie Leidlein brought the 2011-12 school calendar up for discussion during the board’s budget workshop on Tuesday, January 17, to definitively decide on a course of action if further school days are cancelled, the school board postponed a possible decision on the calendar until its next regularly scheduled meeting, Tuesday, January 24.

“We need to let parents know, at least going through April,” said Ms Leidlein.

Multiple board members voiced concern about letting the school calendar spill into the last week of June, when they agreed hot weather complicates both teaching and learning.

From his experience, school board member John Vouros said trying to teaching in the last week of June is not at its “highest most rigorous level.”

Ms Leidlein noted the school district’s 2011-12 calendar has not altered since October, when Winter Storm Alfred made its way through Newtown.

Following Tropical Storm Irene’s impact on Newtown at the start of the school year, the Board of Education voted to have three of the four lost days made up during the week that was scheduled for February break. The break is now scheduled for February 20 and 21, and students will attend school February 22, 23, and 24.

The last of the four lost days was moved to June 14, moving the last day of school one day.

After the October storm, the last day of school was pushed back to June 21, with make-up days set in the event of snow or other school cancellations for June 22, April 20, April 19, April 18, April 17, and April 16 (in that order).

“What I wanted to do tonight,” said Ms Leidlein to her board, “is have discussion and a possible vote as to how we will handle snow days going forward, so that parents might be able to better plan for the end of school and their April break vacation time.”

Ms Leidlein went on to say that a definitive plan from the school board would be the best way to move forward.

“There are a couple ways we could address additional snow days,” said Ms Leidlein. “One, of course, being to remove days from April break.”

She reminded the board the scheduled February break has already been reduced.

“Another scenario that we could use is that we attend school 183 days, and we reduce the number of student days but we maintain the number of teacher days,” Ms Leidlein continued.

Removing two student days from the school calendar, according to Ms Leidlein, would not affect the district’s contract with the Newtown Federation of Teachers.

 Board of Education member William Hart reminded the school board that due to a larger than normal loss of school days in the last school calendar, students attended school for 182 days in the 2010-11 school year.

Even if the 2011-12 school calendar stretched into the last week of June, Mr Hart said some summer programs are set to begin that week.

After a question from school board Vice Chair Laura Roche, Dr Robinson said Newtown High School students taking Advanced Placement courses this semester will need extra time before May, when final tests are mandated to happen. Last year, NHS Principal Charles Dumais said from the audience, more than 650 students took Advanced Placement tests at the high school.

After discussion, a decision on the calendar was postponed to this coming Tuesday, January 24.

Before then, Ms Leidlein requested interested parents in the district contact the school board to voice an opinion on any change to the school district’s calendar, either by e-mail or by attending and speaking during public participation at the January 24 meeting, set to start at 7:30 pm at the Newtown Municipal Center.