Next 3 Years of School Calendars Approved Without February Weeklong Vacation

The Bernards Board of Education has approved the next three year of school calendars, from 2014-15 through 2016-17, without adding the second full week of vacation in February that has been a traditional part of the school year in Bernards Township, despite receiving a petition with 530 signatures calling for the return of the extra week off during the late winter.

The February vacation already had been been eliminated for the first time in the current school year, with one full week off in early April.

With Board Member Michael Byrne dissenting, the remaining board members voted in favor of setting the school calendars with a long Presidents Day weekend in February to replace the full week of vacation.

In previous years, the Bernards school calendar had alloted students a full week off each in late February, and again around late April. However, the approved calendar for 2012-13 was revised to cut back on those days after Superstorm Sandy required schools to close for two weeks in late October and into November 2012.

School officials and board members said that surveys conducted last year among parents, and also students and faculty members made it clear that the public wanted the school year to end earlier than it did last year in late June.

The school officials, including Board President Susan McGowan, said the teachers' union negotiators had declined when they been asked repeatedly last year whether they would report for the two scheduled in-service training days in late August to allow the school year to begin earlier.

But the parents said they felt the school year still could be pushed up a little in September, with students possibly reporting for their first day of school before Labor Day.

"Have you considered the results of the petition?" parent Tara Pardo asked board members at Monday's Board of Education meeting prior to the vote on adopting the three years of calendars. 

The parents had gathered the petition and submitted it to the board previously. 

Pardo also pointed out that in the survey, the high school juniors and seniors who took part in answering the online questionnaire overwhelmingly wanted to keep three full weeks off during the school year, including two more weeks after the winter vacation scheduled around Christmas through New Year's Day.

At previous meetings, Pardo, parent Laura Begg and some other parents had urged the return of the February vacation for multiple reasons, including that it allows students a week to visit colleges or spend needed time with their families before spring sports begin.

On Monday, the two also presented the case that students need time to decompress in a school district with challenging academic standards — and even that younger students benefit from being out of school at a time of year when flu and even head lice may be rampant.

In addition, the two pointed out that more than three days of snow or other emergency closings would eat into the one full week of vacation that would be scheduled each spring.

Begg pointed out that there is a real possibility that if it is a snowy year, students won't have even one full week of school off after New Year's.

Pardo said after the vote that she was disappointed that there had been absolutely no compromises by the board in altering the schedule, even by adding an extra day to the two-day February vacations in future years by perhaps moving up the first day or moving back the last day of school by one day in June.

Byrne said he feels that the board should go back to the teachers union and again ask for more flexibility in starting earlier in the summer — or in giving up a day off before Memorial Day that is part of the contractural agreement with the Bernards Township Education Association.

"I don't think we are going to get anywhere with the teachers — we tried that," said Board Member Robin McKeon. 

McKeon also said that last year's end of school year — with Ridge High School seniors graduating on June 26 — was "ridiculously late." School officials said they received complaints about conflicts with summer jobs or other activities, including  college orientations, that were caused by the late end of school.