MARLBORO – Members of the Marlboro K-8 School District Board of Education have discussed possible ways to account for snow days during the 2018-19 school year.
The board’s discussion came in the wake of the winter of 2017-18, when the district closed for snow six times, including four days in March: March 7-8 and March 21-22. Because of those closures, the board amended the 2017-18 calendar and added a half-day of school on June 22, June 25 and June 26.
Looking ahead to next year, Superintendent of Schools Eric Hibbs said, “In 2018-19 the last day of school is scheduled for June 21. One of our goals is to try (not to be in session) the last week of June. We understand (residents) have sleep-away camp and other commitments.”
Hibbs said the 2018-19 calendar will account for two snow days. If those two snow days are used and additional snow days are needed, the first day the district would take back would be Martin Luther King Day (Jan. 21), followed by Presidents Day (Feb. 18). If more snow days are needed, administrators will work backward from spring recess (March 19-26).
“You can never predict weather,” he said. “We have to look at every calendar on its own.”
Hibbs said he was asked if it was possible to start the 2018-19 school year earlier than Sept. 6.
“We can’t do that because Sept. 1 is a Saturday, Sept. 2 is a Sunday and Sept. 3 is Labor Day, which we are not going to touch. We only have a few professional days to work together as a staff and I would never recommend giving that up. That is something we have in the collective bargaining agreement as something we should value.”
