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Board reviews draft 2025–26 academic calendar; middle-school conference length questioned
Summary
The board discussed a draft 2025–26 academic calendar that meets New York State required minutes and aligns with TST BOCES; members and staff said middle-school caregiver conferences currently are half days because making them full days would reduce the district's built-in snow-day buffer for grades 7–8.
The Ithaca City School District Board of Education held an initial discussion of the proposed 2025–26 academic calendar at its Feb. 25 meeting; the draft calendar is not a voting item and is open for public review and comment.
Mary Grover, presenting the draft, said the calendar meets New York State required instructional minutes, allows up to three snow days, and follows the district’s long-standing practice of 187 educator work days. She said the draft was aligned with TST BOCES so students participating in BOCES programming would not miss sessions.
Board members asked whether caregiver (parent-teacher) conference days at the middle schools could be full days rather than half days to increase appointment availability. Grover said she would follow up with scheduling staff and building leaders because the decision must also respect the required instructional minutes. Later in the discussion district staff explained that if both middle-school caregiver conference days were converted to full days, the district would fall below its three-day snow-day buffer for grades 7–8; staff said one full day and one half day could be accommodated but not two full days without reducing the snow-day buffer.
The calendar will be posted for public review and the district said it will accept community feedback. No formal changes were made at the Feb. 25 meeting.
Ending: The board asked staff to publish the draft for public comment and to return with any follow-up information on middle-school conference scheduling and the effect on instructional minutes and snow-day buffers.
