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NOTES from your representation to the STATEWIDE CALENDAR COMMITTEE...
As we headed into a statewide Vermont Interactive Television (VIT) School Calendar Committee Public Engagement Forum on Wednesday November 28th, we were prepared to actively listen to as many stakeholders as may turn out. Participation, however, was scant with one person at Rutland, one person at Springfield, two at Newport, and perhaps a half dozen at Waterbury. Funny how that works as the dialogue, nevertheless, was very meaningful and lasted until 8 pm. On Thursday November 29th, the School Calendar Committee met to review all the feedback received from stakeholders at the meetings in Newport, Essex Junction, Bennington, Springfield, Montpelier, and at the VIT sites, as well as a multitude of email and written communication that was sent to Carol King at the Department of Education. Up to this point we have heard from almost 150 folks in person, as attendance at these forums ranged from 10 to 60+ stakeholders. Newport drew the largest turnout, and was notable for a detailed presentation with questions from the North Country Union High School Student Council.
Most meetings saw superintendents, educators, school support staff, school board members, parents, and community members employed by the ski industry, each presenting a different and important perspective to be considered. Several legislators turned out at each forum to hear comments, and at the Essex site, Tom James, Chair of the State Board of Education was in attendance to listen. We are all working together on this issue. The chair of the Senate Education Committee and the chair of the House Education Committee turned out at Waterbury and Newport, respectively, as did some committee members, which was valuable to the dialogue.
The difficult job now, however, is to reflect on all the feedback and to formulate a single proposed calendar to be submitted to the Vermont State Board of Education for review, and hopefully approval. The legislation gives the State Board the power to accept or reject a calendar, but not to modify it. If the calendar is rejected, the School Calendar Committee will need to "go back to the drawing board."
This public engagement process was to seek comments and recommendations required by the recent passage of law requiring a statewide school year calendar. Act 31 of the 2007 General Assembly requires the development of a statewide student attendance calendar to be acted upon by the State Board of Education by January 30, 2008.
The committee was specifically charged with soliciting "comments, and recommendations concerning common periods of uninterrupted student attendance days, common vacation schedules and holidays, common in-service days, and common periods for student assessment," and developing a uniform statewide calendar to be adopted by the Vermont State Board of Education by January 30th of each year, and announced no later than March 31st of each year.
Comments were broad and varied, but most were concerned with why this legislation exists, why districts couldn’t continue with calendars viewed as appropriate to the district, what the waiver process may be, how snow and early release days will impact the required 5.5 hour day, shared calendars and shared resources, options for vacation weeks, the common start day, statewide professional development days, high school testing days, other needs for holidays or breaks from school, changing the vacation times of those who live/work along Vermont’s borders, changing the vacation times for those who live by or work at Vermont’s ski areas, and recommending that the committee simply refuse to propose a calendar due to all the negative input received about a statewide calendar.
The next Statewide Calendar Committee meeting will be scheduled during the second week of December, with the hope of reaching consensus regarding a proposed calendar. There has been discussion regarding options suggested by various stakeholders, but thus far, no action has been taken.
Chaired by Brian O’Regan, Deputy Commissioner of Education, the Committee is composed of two representatives each from the Vermont School Boards Association, the Vermont Principals Association, the Vermont Superintendents Association, the Vermont National Education Association, the Vermont business community, the Vermont Association of Career and Technical Center Directors, the high school student body of the state, and the Department of Education. Some of the meetings have also been attended by the executive directors of the VSBA, the Vermont Superintendents Association, the Vermont Principals Association, and the Vermont Ski Areas Association, who are not representatives to the Committee but have willingly shared their perspectives and experiences. Your representatives from the VSBA are Ken Fredette of Wallingford, and me, June Rosenberg of Westfield (Montgomery Center address). We have been actively representing the interests of the VSBA, and are happy to answer any questions.
In addition, the Department of Education has posted extensive information.
