Derry Area board adopts standard Monday-start 2025–26 calendar after debate on remote days

The Derry Area School District Board of School Directors approved the district's 2025–26 academic calendar, adopting the standard Monday start (Option A) after a 5–3 roll-call vote at the board meeting. The discussion focused on whether to keep flexible/remote instruction days (FIDs) and how many snow makeup days to include.

Board and public commenters debated three calendar options: the district's current calendar with a Monday start (Option A); a Monday start with two additional flexible instruction days but four snow makeup days (Option AA); and a Wednesday start that also included additional makeup days (Option AB/"double b"). Teachers, administrators and representatives from the Derry Area Education Association urged preserving a five-day start for younger students so routines and assessments are established early; others argued FIDs reduce the need to add days at the end of the year and can limit instructional disruption during severe weather.

Mike Moxamchock, introduced himself as the president of the Derry Area Education Association and said many teachers favored keeping the existing five-day start, noting concerns about specialists who see students only two days out of a six-day rotation if the year began midweek. Multiple teachers and administrators who submitted written feedback and spoke at the meeting said a five-day start gives early-grade students time to establish routines and reduces the need to reteach after Labor Day.

Supporters of keeping flexible instruction days — and thus more built-in makeup days — said the district's one-to-one device program and experience from recent remote instruction made remote days an acceptable short-term alternative to physical snow makeup days. Several speakers also said neighboring sending districts (Latrobe and Ligonier Valley) sometimes follow different approaches; that difference can leave Eastern Westmoreland Career & Technical Center (EWCTC) students out of sync when sending districts use different makeup approaches.

Board members said they heard the community feedback and weighed the pros and cons. After discussion and a roll-call vote, the board selected Option A (standard Monday start) by a 5–3 roll-call tally.

Votes at the meeting that directly affected the calendar decision included a motion to approve either Option A or Option AA; the recorded roll call produced five votes for Option A and three for Option AA, after which District leadership confirmed Option A would be implemented. The board chair also opened the floor to public comments on the calendar before the final roll call.

The board directed district staff to publish the adopted 2025–26 calendar on the district website and to continue coordinating with EWCTC and neighboring districts on scheduling and student-hour requirements.

The transcript shows a long series of public comments and emails read aloud by staff and board members; excerpts where the calendar options were discussed and the roll call are included in the meeting record.