The contention was over whether the calendar plan had the official approval of the calendar committee. Member Hugh McManus said he had heard from teachers and staff that this year’s calendar was not the one they supported.
“Someone is not telling the correct information…and I’d like to find out who it is,” McManus said.
Members Judy Justice, Stephanie Walker, and Pete Wildeboer agreed. They argued, for example, that one of the issues with the district’s high school calendar was ending the first semester in January.
Central Office staff said state law makes changing the calendar difficult, and that ending the first semester earlier would cause an imbalance in instructional hours between the two semesters. Chair Stephanie Kraybill also said this would force teachers to rearrange their schedules.
“It is very callous of us and not taking into account what our teachers have already done,” Kraybill said.
The board will have a special meeting to review the current calendar and is in the process of setting a date.
