School committee adopts 2026–27 calendar after debate over religious observances

The Methuen School Committee on April 13 approved the 2026–27 school calendar after a prolonged discussion about religious observance recognition and scheduling of professional development and parent conferences.

Member Keegan said she would vote no, arguing the calendar recognizes only a single religious holiday and that the district should either recognize major holidays for all faiths or none: “This will be my fifth year voting no on the school calendar because I strongly object to the fact that we only give one religious holiday,” she said. Other members noted existing policies that permit excused absences for religious observances and cautioned that closing schools on additional dates could impair operations if many staff were absent.

Superintendent Dr. Golobski explained logistical changes in the proposed calendar — moving parent conferences to October and reallocating professional-development days — and said the proposal seeks to balance instructional time with staff planning. Members discussed potential formation of a committee to study broader accommodation of religious observances in future calendars.

After roll-call voting, the calendar was adopted. Several members requested follow-up work to explore approaches that respect diverse religious observances while maintaining operational capacity.

The calendar sets the official last day of school (with current snow-day assumptions) and changes several staff and parent-facing dates used in planning for 2026–27.