Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Global Learning Travel Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Superintendent backs broader travel‑abroad access, proposes 24‑month approval timeline for school trips
Summary
After returning from a professional learning trip in Scandinavia and Estonia, Superintendent Dr. Krueger urged the board to expand equitable access to international travel for students and to adopt a policy requiring at least 24 months between board approval and the trip to make travel more affordable and accessible.
Superintendent Dr. Krueger presented experiences from a nine‑day professional learning trip to Stockholm, Helsinki and Tallinn and told the board she wants to broaden access to student travel abroad. “What's 1 book that changed your life? And the answer, my passport,” she said, citing the trip as transformative.
Krueger described features of the Finnish schooling system that influenced her recommendations: widespread early language instruction, multiple short periods of unstructured learning throughout the school day, and publicly funded university for qualified students. She said those contrasts informed her thinking about global competency, modern graduation pathways and how travel supports cultural and civic learning.
To increase equity in travel participation, Dr. Krueger proposed that the district adopt an expectation of “at least 24 months from the time the Board of Education approves a trip until the time the trip actually occurs.” She said that timeline allows families to save and fundraise incrementally; for example, a $5,000 trip becomes more attainable if families plan over two years.
Dr. Krueger also suggested partnering with BOCES to make portions of curriculum‑linked travel state‑aid‑reimbursable (state aid applies to educational programming, not airfare or lodging) and expanding travel beyond traditional world‑language or honors courses to include career and technical, culinary and environmental study trips. She said some districts provide supports such as passport nights and on‑site photo services to reduce barriers to participation.
The board discussed the proposal in principle but took no formal vote. Members expressed support for increasing access and asked administration to return with implementation details, including timelines, equity provisions (fee waivers or scholarships), and which trips would be eligible for state aid through BOCES.
