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Board selects school‑year calendar option after multiple ballots; option 2 adopted by roll call
Summary
After discussion and multiple roll‑call votes, the board adopted calendar option 2 (August start, June end) by roll call and set several local district holidays; members debated start dates, mid‑winter breaks and professional‑development scheduling.
The Punxsutawney Area School District board considered three proposed school‑year calendars and after multiple floor motions and roll‑call votes adopted calendar option 2.
Board members discussed parent preferences, midwinter breaks and makeup days during a lengthy debate. One board member reported surveying parents, saying the majority preferred a later August start; other members raised concerns about midwinter breaks that could create long staff absences and the placement of professional‑development days. Several members argued for more built‑in makeup days rather than flexible instruction days.
The board first took a vote on option 3 (the August 20 start with an early May end). That motion failed after roll‑call voting. The board then considered option B (option 2 in the packet), described in the materials as a start in August and ending in early June. After a subsequent motion and roll‑call vote, the board adopted option 2. The clerk read roll‑call responses during voting; the chair announced the motion carried after the roll‑call sequence.
Following adoption, the board designated several local district holidays tied to the selected calendar (dates identified in the packet as April 24, April 26, April 29, and December 31 local district holidays—the packet enumerated specific dates associated with option 2). Board members also asked staff to correct a typographical error in the printed calendar: the professional‑development days prior to the school year should read the Thursday and Friday immediately preceding the first student day, and staff were instructed to ensure the calendar distributed to families reflects that correction.
The board also discussed downstream scheduling impacts, including athletics conflicts and family planning. The chair asked staff to confirm exact in‑service dates and to publish the corrected calendar to families once finalized.
Ending: The board adopted calendar option 2 by roll call, set local district holidays associated with that calendar and directed staff to correct and distribute the calendar to families.
