Tri-Rivers Career Center Superintendent Charles Speelman gave the North Union Local School District Board of Education members a tour of different program areas before their meeting on Monday. Speelman, pictured above, points to the exterior entrance for salon customers in the cosmetology wing of the school. (Journal-Tribune photo by Ally Lanasa)
The Calendar Subcommittee presented four proposed academic calendars for 2022-23 and 2023-24 to the North Union Board of Education during its meeting on Monday.
Superintendent Richard Baird said the Ohio Department of Education and Ohio General Assembly require the minimum of 910 hours for students in full-day kindergarten through sixth grade and 1,001 hours for students between seventh and 12th grades. Currently, students receive a total of 1,170 instructional hours with the length of the school day and 180 days of instruction.
Baird said this is 169 hours over the minimum requirement of instructional hours, which translates to about 26 extra days for seventh through 12th graders and even more for kindergarteners through sixth graders.
The Calendar Subcommittee was responsible for creating a calendar that included: 12 holidays for year-round employees; a COTA day on the third Friday in October; four parent-teacher conference dates, with two (no school) make-up days; one teacher work day to start the school year and three teacher work days at the end of the first, second and third nine weeks; and room to miss three calamity days initially and possibly more.
Currently, school days are six and a half hours for students and seven hours for staff.
The subcommittee was encouraged to consider past practice regarding a spring break, a two-week Christmas break and a fair break.
Second grade teacher Patti Leimbach told the board that each group in the subcommittee that helped develop a calendar consisted of a parent or guardian, a staff member and an administrator.
Fourteen subcommittee members took a survey, which then was sent to the entire North Union Local School District. About 200 people, including parents, guardians and staff members, responded similarly to the subcommittee members, Baird said.
Almost half of the surveyors said students receive too many instruction hours, according to the results. Surveyors favored reducing hours of instruction with fewer school days. About 67% voted to start after Labor Day. The second highest vote was to end before Memorial Day.
All calendars featured a fair break.
“I think what most of the groups were trying to accomplish was having the kids start after the fair because of the people that are involved in the fair, walking animals late at night, adjusting bedtime schedules, getting up early and back to bed early,” Leimbach said.
She added that parents acknowledged starting school weeks before the fair then stopping for a week is disruptive at home. Board member Matt Staley, whose sons participate in the Richwood Independent Fair, agreed.
A calendar titled “H/I Combo” has the students starting after the fair, but the teachers would begin in August.
Not all calendar options had a full spring break. However, students will be given the Friday and the following Monday off in calendars that lack an extensive spring break, Baird said.
“We need to have a decision made by the board by March,” he added.
The school board voted to address the calendars again at the December meeting. Then, the local teachers association will review the calendars and give the board its recommendation. The board of education will make the final decision of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 calendars.
“If we decide to reduce the number of hours or increase the number of hours, we have to have a public hearing 30 days before,” Baird said.
One of the proposed calendars does reflect a decrease in the number of hours, so the board would have to hold a public hearing if that is a favorable choice.
In other news:
The North Union Local School District has seen a recent uptick in COVID-19 cases. As of Monday evening, there were seven elementary students in isolation and nine middle school students in isolation.
Additions and revisions to board policy are being submitted for first reading on the recommendation of the Board Policy Committee.
The board approved the hiring of non-certified substitute personnel to be called on an as-needed basis; the resignation of Melanie Ahern, an elementary intervention specialist, effective Nov. 30; and the retirement of Paula Sheets, a high school library aide, effective Feb. 17, 2022. The board also approved volunteers for middle school wrestling and robotics/classroom, pending clearance.
The board acknowledged that the nutrition standards policy that considers the requirements of the Ohio Revised Code and governs the types of food and beverages that may be sold on the premises of its schools has been adopted and is being enforced.
Prior to the meeting, the board received a tour of Tri-Rivers Career Center from Superintendent Charles Speelman. The board members saw the health services classroom, the cosmetology and massage wing, a sports medicine classroom and the interactive media classroom.
The next board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 20, at the North Union Board of Education Offices, 12920 Route 739.