School committee narrows 2025–26 calendars; two options sent to teachers’ association for review

The Sharon School Committee voted Thursday to forward two proposed 2025–26 school calendars to the Sharon Teachers Association for review after a lengthy discussion of student and staff absence data and community input.

School Committee members said they wanted the district to start the school year before Labor Day and address family requests to add Monday, Jan. 2, 2026, as a no‑school day. The committee then debated whether to restore the second day of Rosh Hashanah as a full no‑school day and whether the day before Thanksgiving should be a half day or a full day.

After discussion, the committee approved two calendar options to send to the teachers’ association: (1) calendar option 2 — Jan. 2 off, second day of Rosh Hashanah off, and a half‑day the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (last day of school would fall on June 16, 2026); and (2) a calendar including Jan. 2, the second day of Rosh Hashanah and the full day before Thanksgiving (pushing the potential last day to June 17, 2026). The committee chair said it wanted teachers to review both options and return feedback quickly.

Calendar subcommittee members reported the attendance data that framed the discussion. They said Rosh Hashanah day two showed elevated student absences comparable to other days tied to vacations, while the day before Thanksgiving and the Thursday at the end of school break also had high absence rates. School staff and the teachers’ union described surveys showing strong teacher support for everyone—including staff and students—starting before Labor Day and prioritized requests for Jan. 2 and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving as days off.

The committee discussed the role of half‑day schedules. Administrators and committee members explained that half days are sometimes used to limit instructional loss while still recognizing families’ needs to observe religious or cultural holidays; the state counts a half day as a full attendance day for calendar calculations, which affects the school‑year end date.

Several committee members asked that calendar materials avoid taking positions on politically contested holiday names (for example, listing the October federal holiday without choosing between “Columbus Day” and “Indigenous Peoples’ Day”) so the committee could focus on attendance and operations.

Votes at the meeting: - Motion to present calendar option 2 (Jan. 2 off; Rosh Hashanah day 2 off; half‑day the Wednesday before Thanksgiving): approved by roll call (4 yes, 3 no). Yes: Julie Rowe (chair), Alan, Adam, Avi. No: Dan, Jeremy, Shauna. - Motion to present a calendar with Jan. 2 and the full day before Thanksgiving but not the second day of Rosh Hashanah (a separate proposal): defeated in a roll‑call vote. (Vote recorded at the meeting: 2 yes, 5 no.) - Motion to present a “deluxe” option (Jan. 2; Rosh Hashanah day 2; full day before Thanksgiving; last day of school up to June 17): approved by roll call (4 yes, 3 no). Yes: Julie Rowe (chair), Alan, Adam, Avi. No: Dan, Jeremy, Shauna.

The committee instructed administration to forward the two approved calendars to the Sharon Teachers Association for rapid feedback and to return to the committee with any union responses. The committee said it planned to finalize the calendar promptly to meet downstream scheduling and childcare needs.

Public comment before the vote included several speakers who raised religious‑ and gender‑related concerns; administrators and committee members said the calendar decision would be driven by attendance data and operational impact rather than questions of celebration or political preference.