New Calendar: School on Veterans, Election Day, February Vacation Shortened

Board of Education members ensured ample flexibility in next year's school calendar in the event ice, snow and flooding causes closings to pile up the way it did amid treacherous weather conditions this year. A new 2011-12 calendar was approved unanimously Monday night.

Among the major changes, classes will be in session on Veterans Day and Election Day, and February vacation has been reduced to a long weekend. Barring snow days, the year would end on June 8 — well before the state requirement that it end by June 30.

The new STEM Academy will start school a day earlier, on Aug. 29, so students can get used to their surroundings at Masuk High School before the older students arrive. As a result, academy students' year would end a day a earlier.

"The revisions are as a result of your request to take a second look at the calendar," Supt. of Schools Dr. Colleen Palmer said when presenting the proposed changes to Board of Education members at their meeting in the Masuk media center.

The board's Calendar Committee, made up of representatives of different bargaining units, came up with the proposal.

Palmer said it was determined that students would learn more about the meaning of Veterans Day by taking part in a comprehensive program at school, than by having the day off.

School will also be held on Election Day for the first time when voters cast their ballots in the municipal races on Nov. 8. Palmer said the town's registrars of voters had no concerns, so long as parking is handled.

"We would probably provide more parking than the town requests on Election Day, so everyone can vote," Palmer said.

Rather than it being a full week, February vacation will be Monday, Feb. 20, and Tuesday, Feb. 21, so families and school staff have a four day weekend to plan vacations.

The superintendent said it was a hectic period when February vacation had to be canceled this year to make up for snow days.

In all, Monroe 10 lost school days from ice and snow and one washed away by flooding.

As a parent, Board of Education member Kelly Plunkett, said it was good to see September, October and November having more weeks of instruction without disruption.

"As a board member, I would like to see some update to the board on what programs for Veterans Day will make it more acceptable [to have school on that day]," Plunkett said.