After calling off school on Wednesday for the sixth time this year, Taunton is searching for ways to make up the canceled school days.
“Every option has pros and cons,” Superintendent Julie Hackett said.
Options on the table include going to school during vacations or on Saturdays. The School Committee plans to hold a meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Pole School to discuss the issue.
Whichever decision is made, committee chairman Joseph Martin said he doubts it will please all parties involved.
“Everyone’s not going to be happy,” he said.
As things currently stand, Taunton schools would let out on June 28 if there are no more cancellations. With inclement weather becoming commonplace this winter, however, additional snow days are a real possibility.
Taunton is in a particularly precarious situation because it didn’t start school until Sept. 7, due to a request from the contractors performing renovation work at Taunton High School.
Many school districts across the region face the prospect of making up snow days to ensure that students had 180 days of classes. The current fiscal year ends June 30, so going to school into July is not a likely option.
The fiscal calendar not withstanding, Hackett said she does not believe in sending students to school during the summer break.
“We wouldn’t want to go to school beyond July 1,” Hackett said.
Martin suggested a potential way to make up snow days without having to cut into vacation time or weekends. The idea would be to lengthen some school days in order to make up the time. Depending on how many hours are added to a school day, two or three extended days could potentially make up time from one snow day.
Hackett said she asked the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education whether such a plan would be allowed. She expects an answer in the coming days.
“I think extending the school day makes a lot of sense,” Hackett said. “The transportation’s already there, the students are already there, the teachers already there.”
Such a plan could potentially cause scheduling conflicts with after-school sports and other activities.
“Anything you come up with, you’re going to come up with issues,” Martin said. “There’s not going to be any easy solution to this.”
He and Hackett noted that many high school students work on Saturdays, and many families have already made plans during school vacation weeks.
Hackett said several parents have emailed her with suggestions of going to school on vacation days. She said she plans on sending a notice on the matter to parents and staff members.
“I’m interested in hearing what staff and families have to say,” she said.
Taunton Education Association president Janet Anderson said the teachers union plans to meet with members to discuss the options for making up snow days. She said she has also discussed the issue with Hackett.
“We’re going to work on it,” Anderson said. “We’re going to see if we can come up with a solution that works with minimal disruption.”
Contact Gerry Tuoti at gtuoti@tauntongazette.com
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