The ConVal school board set a date for the last day of its school year during a regular meeting Tuesday night at the SAU building.
Superintendent Kim Saunders said the school has had seven snow days and five weather-related delays so far this winter. She recommended setting the last day of the year for June 23, which would mean students would make up six of the seven days they missed as a result of snow. If the school were to cancel classes as a result of snow from now until the end of the school year, the last day would remain unchanged. The school does not make up delays, and they count for full days.
School board members voted in a 6 to 3 vote to accept the June 23 release date.
Peterborough school board member Dick Dunning expressed opposition to the release date. He argued the quality of education declines as the summer months wane on and temperatures soar into the mid-to-upper 80s.
“June 23rd is a concern and part of it is that when it gets hot the educational value of those days goes down,” Dunning said.
Peterborough select board member Janine Lesser said students in other states across the country attend school well into June and just deal with it.
The school board launched into discussion about other alternatives, which could include shaving off a few days over April vacation, or tacking on an additional 10 to 15 minutes at the beginning or the end of a school day. Saunders said a survey, which was sent out to students and parents looking for input regarding vacation days, did not show overwhelming support for students attending school through April vacation in a move for an earlier release date.
School board members agreed that the discussion should be moved to a committee, where the topic could be further debated, although Saunders said she believed this discussion is best left to students and families who are impacted from the changes. She said hearing from as many people possible regarding the topic would be beneficial.
The school board set graduation for June 16.
During the meeting, the board also set its out of district tuition rate for $6,975, a number that has essentially remained unchanged.
The board unanimously voted to appoint Chair Myron Steere for another term. Rich Cahoon was appointed vice chair in an uncontested race. All new and returning board members were also sworn into their seats after the election results had been tallied.
Abby Kessler can be reached at 924-7172, ext. 234 or akessler@ledgertranscript.com.