Parent urges Madison Local board to delay 2026–27 calendar vote for more public discussion

At the start of public participation on Feb. 17, Melissa Stewart, a parent of a third-grader at South Elementary and a high-school teacher in a neighboring district, asked the Madison Local Schools board to postpone any final vote on the 2026–27 school-year calendar to allow more public discussion.

"My main reason for coming up here tonight is just to ask the board if we could, possibly postpone any votes on the school year calendar for the 2026, 2027 school year," Stewart said, adding she was not sure the district had provided enough transparency and community input on a proposal to move to a Labor Day–to–Memorial Day schedule. She argued that the days immediately after Memorial Day often are not used for substantive instruction and suggested the board compare the pros and cons of the alternative calendar before voting.

A second commenter (name pronounced by the chair as Tammy Wishlager) said she is not a teacher but works at the high school cafeteria and urged the board to consider ending school closer to Memorial Day with an in-service day on the preceding Friday. She also recommended using an assistant principal as a floater between buildings to address staffing and busing changes instead of seeking a new hire, noting district conversations about covering a $200,000 gap in busing costs.

Board members did not take action to change the calendar during the meeting; administrators told the board that the calendar will not come up for a vote until at least 30 days after the board has had the opportunity to review it.

The public comment period closed after those remarks with no additional speakers.