FAIRFIELD, Conn. A glut of snow days last winter cut the Fairfield Public Schools April vacation down to just three days. The Board of Education will decide next week whether to get rid of it altogether.
The school board held its first talks about the 2012-13 calendar at its meeting Nov. 22. A few board members suggested eliminating a weeklong vacation either in February or in April. The idea would extend summer vacation by an extra week.
I actually dont really feel strongly about the calendar, Superintendent David Title wrote on his blog. You can try to make an educational argument for changes in the calendar, but I doubt theres much credible research to support any change on those grounds.
Fairfield cannot switch to the model used by some private schools, which have a single vacation in March instead of two in the surrounding months. Public schools take the Connecticut Mastery Tests and the Connecticut Academic Performance Tests throughout March.
The current version of the 2012-13 calendar follows this year's model. Most students would head back to school Aug. 30, the Thursday before Labor Day. The last day of school, barring snow days or other cancellations, would be June 18. The schedule also includes three weeklong breaks, in December, February and April.
Board members also brought up the possibility of holding classes Veterans Day. The state considers it an optional holiday, meaning districts are allowed to hold school as long as they provide an educational program related to the holiday.
No matter what the school board decides, Fairfields schools must be in session for 182 days, per state law. The school board will also have to include five professional development days for its teachers.
The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the 2012-13 calendar at its meeting Dec. 13.
Its always a lively debate on proposed calendar changes, but ultimately Im not sure it means all that much to a childs education, Title said. What we do with children for the 182 days that we do have them is much more important than when the days fall in the year.
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