The 2022-23 academic calendar needed two rounds of voting and much in the way of discussion before a consensus was reached by the Old Rochester Regional Joint School Committee/Superintendency Union #55 in its January 20 meeting.
The merits of half days in general and Good Friday’s place on a public-school calendar dominated a discussion that lasted the better part of an hour.
Four “no” votes on each side of the JSC necessitated a second go-round with the calendar proposed by ORR Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson.
One tweak that was agreed upon was movement of a professional-development day from Tuesday, January 3, 2023, to Friday, January 13, 2023. Nelson offered his support for the amendment to the calendar.
That wasn’t enough to get it done.
Carly Lavin, a Union-side holdout, said she would like to see at least one, maybe two school days, before the December break. “Definitely November 23rd,” she said. Also voting no on the first Union-side vote were Tiffini Reedy, Carole Clifford and Robin Rounseville. Region-side rejections of the calendar that left the rest of the calendar alone came from Michelle Smith, Matthew Monteiro, Margaret McSweeny and Frances Kearns.
Hearing the ensuing debate, Clifford offered an altered motion changing the professional-development day to January 13 but also adding a full school day on December 22 and a half day on December 23.
Before the second vote, Nelson told the members that the ORR administration can support the amendments in Clifford’s motion. The motions carried on both sides but not unanimously, as Reedy and Rounseville voted no a second time on the Union side and McSweeny and Kearns again voted no on the Region side.
“We get to this point and we feel pressure to approve this calendar. I think that this is such a grueling process that we need to start this earlier,” said Rounseville.
Burke said it is incumbent on the committee to make sure the item is on the agenda early in the school year so that the appropriate time can be given to the necessary discussion.
Under the approved calendar, June 15 becomes the new last day of the 2022-23 school year.
Nelson said that the JSC achieved a vote a week ahead of last year.
ORR High School Principal Mike Devoll noted during the discussion that the students’ focus is lost in the middle of June and also on the precipice of any vacation break.
“What I’ve found, if you’re talking about half days versus full days, there is no difference between a half day and full day leading into a vacation at the high school,” he said. “It’s the week leading into it so, if you’re looking at Thanksgiving, that entire week is a poorly attended week. If you’re talking about the December vacation, it’s all of the days leading up to it, as families seek the less-expensive travel options.”
Mattapoisett Schools Principal Rose Bowman said only recently the day before Thanksgiving became a full day off. She agrees with Devoll that the entire week is “delicate for attendance” due to families’ travel plans.
“If you live in the world of early childhood, December 23rd is a very challenging day to be in school. We’ve been in school on the 23rd, we’ve been a half day, we’ve been a full day. It’s been a challenge,” said Bowman. “I appreciate the calendar the way it’s written now that the last day (before vacation) is the 22nd. I would be less than honest with you to say that it is an academic, rigorous week for little children.”
“Our job as school committee members is to … make sure that education is the very best it can be for our children throughout the school calendar,” said Union-side Chairperson Sharon Hartley, noting that there are two kinds of half days. “We need to make sure that we have great professional development for our staff; it makes a difference for our school district. … But the days that come before a holiday … what kind of an educational day is it?”
It was a rhetorical question, as Hartley cited the funding required to support such a day and what little quality time it leaves for actual education to take place.
Another substantial conversation took place around a revised draft policy that would allow the ORR Administration to sanction advertising on school grounds, something heretofore prohibited without school committee permission.
Committee member Matthew Monteiro sought to clarify advertising’s definitions, focusing on the more subtle displays indicating some form of sponsorship. Comments that followed addressed the need to draw the line, how to maintain control and other complex questions. Nelson said the next step is to take the feedback to the policy subcommittee for review.
Devoll said that any opportunities to gain revenue for athletics must be considered because the funding is not in the school budget, he said.
In response to the state’s recommendation to update the school committee’s public-comment policy and at the same time eliminate the public-comment guideline because those guidelines are now in the policy, both sides of the JSC voted unanimously in favor of the changes. The policy will be posted on the school committee website.
In an update on the superintendent’s evaluation timeline, Nelson said he is in year two of a two-year process. A midpoint progress review was held in July 2021. Nelson said he will continue to collaborate with the superintendent’s Goals Subcommittee.
In his report to the JSC, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber said that several meetings have been held and that the FY23 budget process is going well.
The JSC voted unanimously to approve Barber’s proposed changes to procurements requirements. The JSC also approved changes to eliminate gender-specific terms in ORR’s policy manual. Fernandes’ was the lone dissenting vote.
The JSC moved into executive session and only returned to adjourn.
The next meeting of the Joint School Committee/Superintendency Union #55 is scheduled for Thursday, April 28, at 6:30 pm.
Joint School Committee/Superintendency Union #55
By Mick Colageo