At its January meeting the Bronxville Board of Education took a look at next year's calendar as proposed by Superintendent David Quattrone. The draft, patterned after the generic calendar prepared by the Lower Hudson Council of Superintendents, reflects consultation with the Bronxville Teachers Association and the district administrators.
The 2010-11 calendar presents a specific problem: Labor Day (September 6) and Rosh Hashanah (September 9 and 10) both fall in the week of September 6th. Based on past practice this would leave only two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) available for student and staff use. (The BTA contract stipulates that school may not start prior to Labor Day.) Although the day after Labor Day has traditionally been a conference day for teachers, that would result in only one day of student attendance during the week of September 6. However, delaying the start of school until September 13 also presents problems. As a result, September 7 and 8 will both be student days.
Three conference days are scheduled throughout the school year. These days are used for workshops, training, and other activities related to professional and curriculum development. The first conference day is planned for Friday, November 12. Because the previous day, November 11, is a holiday, this gives students and families a long weekend.
The second two conference days are planned for March 24th and 25th. These dates split the difference between February and April vacations. Two consecutive conference days permit more sustained curriculum work and are also a more efficient way to use consultants.
This calendar will be presented for further review at the February Board meeting. The draft can be found here.
