Manchester-Essex committee approves half day on Dec. 23 for 2026–27 calendar; advances 2027–28 draft

The Manchester-Essex Regional School Committee voted 5–2 on Jan. 27 to approve a 2026–27 school calendar that designates Dec. 23 as a half day, and then advanced the 2027–28 draft calendar on the same basis.

Superintendent Pam, who led the calendar presentation, said the committee’s choice balances end-of-year schedule concerns with the district’s built-in snow-day assumptions and staff preferences. “If we think it’s best practice and want to establish that the 23rd should always be a half day, unless we’re looking at a two-week span, then we should make it the 23rd,” Pam said during the discussion.

Committee members debated whether Dec. 23 should be a full day, a half day, or a no-school day that would be tacked onto the end of the year. Members cited two planning considerations: (1) the district schedules five built-in snow days, which affect where the final day of school lands on the calendar, and (2) attendance and family travel patterns around the holidays. Teresa Whitman said it is “very optimistic to assume that there will not be any weather days,” urging the committee to account for likely disruptions when choosing a Dec. 23 option.

The roll-call vote on the 2026–27 calendar (option A: half day on Dec. 23) returned: Kate (no), Teresa Whitman (yes), Jake Foster (yes), John Berys (approve), Nadia Wetszler (no), Lindsey Banks (yes), and the chair voted yes, producing a 5–2 approval. The committee followed with a similar vote advancing option A for 2027–28; that motion carried by the same margin.

Members asked administrators to continue outreach to families about calendar impacts and said they will monitor final insurance and budget forecasts before the district’s next formal budget adoption steps. The committee also agreed to present the calendar drafts to town partners as part of the upcoming collaboration meeting.