A proposal that drew the ire of many in the community over a proposed first day of school is in limbo due in part to a lack of voting members on Calvert’s school board at a meeting last week.
With two members — Antoine White and Jana Post — missing the March 9 vote, the board of education initially voted 2-to-1 to accept the calendar committee’s recommendation for the 2023-2024 school year, which included the first day of school to be Thursday, Aug. 24.
However, a notice on the school board’s website now says that vote was invalid, and the board will address the issue again next week.
“Subsequent to the March 9 board of education meeting, board staff researched if concurrence requires three votes,” the website posting said. “Although a quorum was present, the vote on the 2023-2024 school calendar only received two votes. Therefore, the school calendar motion will be brought back to the board on March 23, for affirmation.”
Jackie Jacobs, the local public schools’ director of system and instructional performance, who helmed the stakeholder committee that determined the proposed calendar, explained that a blend of state and federal requirements plus contractual mandates created the logistical challenges of finalizing a palatable plan.
“We are really restricted in certain areas,” Jacobs told the school board last week.
Jacobs noted that 70 individuals commented on the calendar and over 55 “did not like the start date.”
A sampling of comments outlined the issues of those opposed to the Aug. 24 start date.
“Due to the late publishing of the calendar, many families, including ours, have already made vacation plans for the week of Aug. 21 and, as such, these plans would be disrupted by a Thursday, Aug. 24, start date,” wrote Carrie Pendleton. “The later it gets into August, the tougher it becomes to find camps for school-age children and, as a result, late August is a good time for families to take a vacation. A Tuesday, Aug. 29, start would be preferred but a Monday, Aug. 28, start would also be workable.”
“The upcoming school year absolutely should not start during the [middle of the] week,” Jen Huntley stated in her letter to the school board. “School should start on a Monday and include a full school week to start. Your proposed start of a Thursday not only intrudes on a working parent but also cuts into the final week of summer break for the children. There are many children enrolled in summer programs and activities that actually run through that Friday. Starting school mid-week is inconvenient and takes away from the students.”
When asked by board member Dawn Balinski why the committee chose Aug. 24, Jacobs explained the earlier start would give instructors more time to prepare students for state assessment tests, which are to be administered at an earlier day than previously done.
In a summary of calendar requirements, Jacobs noted there must be 180 school days within a 10-month period and 14 public holidays must be observed with closures.
The school system’s 10-month staff will have a total of 190 workdays, while 12-month staff has 245 workdays, per contracts.
The calendar includes six two-hour early dismissal or delayed opening days for students that are designated as teacher work time.
Board member Lisa Grenis asked if a survey about the proposed calendar was sent out to parents and teachers. Jacobs said a survey was not sent out since the committee’s membership represented multiple stakeholder groups.
Grenis advocated for moving the start date to Aug. 28 and utilizing any unused inclement weather days within the calendar to provide for an earlier-than-anticipated last day of school, now set for June 11, 2024.
Student board member Maggie Rathgeb, who could not vote on the plan, noted that a Muslim student did provide the school board with a petition bearing over 200 signatures requesting that Eid Al-Fitr, a Muslim observance, be marked with either a holiday or in-service day when students have no classes.
“You have hashed this out and it will never appeal to everyone,” Balinski told Jacobs.
“This is one job that would be incredibly challenging to tackle,” said Grenis. “There is no calendar that will satisfy 100% of the people.”
Despite her empathy for the calendar committee, Grenis sustained her opposition to the Aug. 24 start date and voted opposed to approving the proposed calendar.
