Members of the Rochester School Committee on February 4 were adamant that their stance on keeping Good Friday as a school day would not change this year as it discussed the proposed draft of the 2016/2017 school year calendar.
When Assistant Superintendent Elise Frangos brought up the topic, asking if the committee felt it would be a meaningful school day given last year’s significant absenteeism of students and staff, there was little discussion.
“Speaking for the group, I think that our group has been pretty steady on that Good Friday as a day of school,” said School Committee Chairman Tina Rood. ”I don’t want to have another discussion about that because I think we have voted.”
Committee member Jennifer Kulak agreed.
“It’s a school day,” stated Kulak. “I don’t want to have that discussion again.”
Rood said Superintendent Doug White could take that consensus back to the meeting of ‘The Joint’ school committees for a vote on March 24.
White had asked members at The Joint meeting back on January 21 to bring up the discussion amongst the three local school committees before the March 24 meeting to minimize further discussion and hopefully take a vote.
Good Friday will fall on April 14, 2017, the Friday before April vacation.
“I don’t think that we need to have a discussion that isn’t a discussion for us,” Rood said. “So you can bring that back to the group,” she said to White. “We were strong on that last year, and I think we’ve been pretty strong that that is a day of school.”
The committee discussed other aspects of the calendar, including the month of March, a full month with no half days or days off.
Kulak was concerned by that time students would need a break in between seven straight, unbroken weeks of school.
Administration and other School Committee members consider unbroken weeks of learning to be positive, but Kulak found seven weeks excessive.
“From the School Committee and as a teacher, yeah, I can see that,” said Kulak. “I can see your position as to having that consistency and it’s great. As a parent…” Not so much, she said.
White said the 2016 Christmas break was slated to be “the shortest Christmas break that we could possibly have.”
Christmas will fall on Sunday, and students would return on January 3. The committee suggested perhaps giving students Friday, December 23 off in addition to vacation week. White noted the suggestion for The Joint meeting.
The next meeting of the Rochester School Committee is scheduled for March 3 at 6:30 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.
By Jean Perry