Stamford School Board To Reconsider Controversial Calendar Decisions

STAMFORD, CT — The Columbus Day and Veterans Day holidays are expected to be added back in to the calendars for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years in Stamford Public Schools a little more than three months after the Board of Education voted to remove them and hold classes on those days.

According to a SPS spokesperson, the school board was recently informed that keeping schools open on Columbus Day and Veterans Day would not be cost neutral as originally anticipated.

As a result, BOE Fiscal Chair Joshua Esses and Operations Chair Michael Hyman requested that amended district calendars be presented for a vote during the full board's regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday night.

The meeting is slated to begin at 7 p.m. in person and on Zoom.

"It is anticipated that the amended calendars will pass and that schools will be closed on Columbus Day and Veterans Day during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years," an SPS spokesperson told Patch via email Monday.

In January, the school board voted 5-3 to remove the holidays from the school calendars for the next two school years.

Esses, who voted to cut the holidays, said at the time the school year was too long.

"It's not about picking favorite holidays or celebrations, it's about what works best for the education of every child in our district," Esses said, noting there were "some relatively costless ways" to make the school year shorter.

Another member, Versha Munshi-South, explained that the first few months of school are critical for instruction and that it's important to keep education as uninterrupted as possible.

The board's decision to remove the holidays sparked outrage from the local community, notably from Italian Americans and veterans, and it received national attention.