East Ramapo officials say state instructional‑hour shortfall drove short lunches; draft plan could extend high‑school lunch to 32 minutes
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Summary
Superintendent told the board that high schools have a single 24‑minute lunch for 1,200–1,500 students, constrained by a 6‑hour‑14‑minute teacher day and NYSED's 990‑hour requirement; district is drafting a schedule that could extend lunch to 32 minutes but said changes require contract negotiations.
The East Ramapo Central School District superintendent told the school board that high schools currently have a single 24‑minute lunch period and officials are exploring schedule changes that might extend that to about 32 minutes.
"They have a 24 minute lunch period at the high schools," the superintendent said, describing cafeterias sized for a fraction of the student body and long lines that leave many students without enough time to eat. He said the district is "working to create a revised high school schedule" and hopes to have a draft completed by the end of the week or early next week.
Why it matters: New York State Education Department (NYSED) requires districts to provide 990 student instructional hours per year. The superintendent said the district's teacher contract — which limits the teacher instructional day to "6 hours and 14 minutes" — plus NYSED requirements are primary constraints on adding student lunch time or additional instructional minutes. The district said calendar and contract changes will require negotiations with staff.
The superintendent also said the district discovered a shortfall at the middle‑school level last year of roughly 60 instructional hours and that the district was fined for the deficiency. The fine was initially described as $400,000 and later corrected in discussion to "over $600,000." To address shortfalls this year, the district implemented a 20‑minute virtual instruction period at the start of the day, which officials described as supervised computer‑based work rather than direct teacher instruction.
The board was told the change the district is proposing could increase high‑school lunch to 32 minutes "still insufficient" according to the superintendent, and that any schedule revision would be contingent on collective bargaining and NYSED rules. The superintendent said the district expects to provide an update on whether the change is feasible by early next week.
What happens next: The district plans to continue drafting the schedule, consult with staff and negotiators, and report back to the board. Further action — including potential bargaining over teacher hours or contract language — would be required before any change takes effect.