Where Are We With a Schedule for Make Up Days?
This winter is taking its toll on all of us! Our regular February board meeting was cancelled at the beginning of the month, and a makeup meeting was held Monday. During that meeting, we discussed a makeup schedule and used the most recent information from the DCSD. Of course, while we were meeting on Monday, the DCSD teachers’ union was also meeting, and there is a new plan that they will vote upon on Friday. It contained a new aspect that our board had not fully considered. JFK’s board will meet again on Presidents’ Day.
Here’s where we are at so far, pending, of course, the DCSD vote on Friday:
- The DCSD is planning to eliminate early outs on Wednesdays, beginning March 6. JFK would do the same. There would be bus transportation.
- The DCSD is planning to have school on Good Friday and Easter Monday. JFK will not. The Triduum is the most important part of the liturgical year in the Church. It ought to be recognized as such in a Catholic school.
- The DCSD is planning to have June 5th as the last day, which is the same as currently scheduled. JFK will do the same. (JFK’s board could have also accepted going through June 7th, if the DCSD did.)
- The DCSD is planning on extending the school day by 20 minutes beginning March 4th. Everything that we have seen in writing just says the 20 minutes is “added.” Our teacher friends in the DCSD are telling us that the 20 minutes is earlier. The Catholic schools are reaching out to the DCSD administration to clarify that they really expect the private schools, like JFK, to start as early as 7:05 with bus drop offs beginning at 6:45. It is this issue that seemed to come out of nowhere, and our board needs to discuss it. It may come down to starting 20 minutes early or not having morning bus transportation.
Because JFK regularly has more instructional hours that the DCSD, we do have some additional flexibility in our make up schedule, and this year may prove to be the exceptional year where we exercise that flexibility.