Committee reviews proposed school calendar shifts to avoid test-week interruptions

Administration presented a draft transfer of dates from this year’s school calendar into the next year. The chief changes are moving a professional development half day currently scheduled in February to January and moving an April half day to March to avoid interrupting instruction close to MCAS testing windows.

Superintendent (acting) Jack Higgins said the district plans to start school the day after Labor Day, preserve federal holidays and distribute half days throughout the year. He noted that the December break in the draft begins Dec. 24 and runs through Jan. 1, and that because Jan. 2 falls on a Friday that year the district is proposing to extend that break rather than schedule a low-attendance day on Jan. 2.

A committee member asked that the administration confirm with both town clerks that no local elections or other town-specific events conflict with the calendar; Higgins said he had already shared the draft with at least one town clerk. The committee also discussed the process for waivers if a single building must close (for example a heat failure) and the impact on make-up days; Higgins described the waiver conversation the district had with Rob Curtin at the state and said the district expects a favorable outcome in a recent case, although waivers can be denied in other circumstances.

Ending: Committee members were asked to submit comments by email for aggregation before final calendar posting; administration will finalize and publish the calendar after coordination with town clerks and union representatives.