After a couple of years of barreling through January, February and March with an abbreviated winter recess, the South Orange/Maplewood School District will return to a full-week recess in February 2011.

The decision was made at the December 21, 2009, meeting of the Board of Education. Board Chair Mark Gleason was dubious, as was Board member Rowland Bennett, but they did not vote against the measure. 

The Board opted to go with the School Calendar Option B after Superintendent Brian Osborne reported the extensive feedback that he had received from parents supporting a full-week mid-winter break. Additionally, Board student representative Seth Wolin shared his results from a student survey: More than two-thirds of the 344 Columbia High School students surveyed in 18 home rooms supported a full-week winter break. 

The dates of the break will be Monday, February 21, 2011, through and including Friday, February 25, 2011. Children will return to school on Monday, February 28.

Board member Richard Laine noted that this brought the SO/M School District in line with surrounding districts such as Summit, Livingston and Millburn. Laine noted that teachers had found the mini-breaks "awkward" because they broke up more than one week. "One full week is easiest, and kids get refreshed," said Laine.

Said Gleason, "Clearly, the community preferred the February break, but we go three weeks into June." Gleason said his experience had been that any meaningful teaching ends at the beginning of June. Gleason stated his belief that the school year should start earlier, and he noted that school districts throughout the country were moving to earlier school years or full-year calendars. Laine noted that the summer break constituted a major learning loss and made it that much harder to bridge the achievement gap.

Board member Beth Daugherty pointed out that, due to the need to wrap up the school year, finalize grades and do community building activities, teachers would still stop teaching at the same point out from the end of the school year--whenever that date may be. Wolin noted that, at least in high school, teachers instruct aggressively right up until final exams. 

"Fair enough," said Gleason.

Osborne's opinion? "I feel consecutive school days in February are important but we couldn't do it for this year [2010/2011] without going into a fourth week in June."

The resolution adopting the Option B school calendar for 2010/2011 passed unanimously.

The majority of the discussion at the Board meeting focused on preliminary information and questions informing the budget process for 2010/2011, which will begin in earnest at the Tuesday, January 20, 2010, Board of Education meeting. Patch will have a full report tomorrow.