Board Considering No School on Election Day 2012

The recently completed for the next few years was opened again at the Sept. 13 board of education meeting after a resident noticed that the 2012-2013 school calendar included a regular day on Nov. 6, election day.

“Four years ago, we decided to close school on election day because we anticipated a large turnout, and worried about parking, making sure there was full access to the polls and having lots of people coming to the schools when the students were there,” Superintendent of Schools Michael Schilder said. “We do hire police officers, but four years ago we felt it would be too much, and I think it was a good decision.”

“Now we face the same dilemma in 2012,” he added.

Schilder recommended that the district cancel school on Election Day 2012, while holding school instead on April 1, 2013, what will be commonly referred to that year as Easter Monday.

“We were glad we did that four years ago, and I would do it again,” he said.

The only issue with that, Schilder said, is that students would then come to school on Nov. 5, be off Nov. 6, come to school Nov. 7 and then be off for the last two days of the week for the teachers’ convention.

“So it will not be much of a week,” he said.

Board of education member Jeffrey Brookner questioned whether they could bring a day back during Presidents Day Weekend in February instead of bringing the day back in April.

Schilder said that would be a possibility, but that was the weekend the district was already planning to use if an extra snow day is needed after January.

“If we’re hit hard with snow, we’re going to want to use that day,” he said.

But Brookner said he is concerned about the choppiness of the week in November, and the month in general.

And board of education vice president Patrick Breslin said he understands that the week is unattractive from an educational standpoint, but also understands the possibility of the demands on the building and parking lot with all the voters coming in and out.

“I also think we’re inviting a large number of vacations for that week,” he said. “I don’t feel good one way or the other here.”

Schilder said he wouldn’t be opposed to taking a chance on holding school on Nov. 6, and assuming that they can make it work. He said it is the parking that is most worrisome, with all the faculty and staff taking up most of the spaces.

“I don’t want people to think because they have to park and the staff is parked there that there is limited parking,” he said. “I don’t want people to not vote because of parking.”

But Schilder said that people who are going to take off because of the four-day weekend will do so regardless of whether there is school on election day or not.

Brookner questioned whether it would be possible to move an already scheduled professional development day for staff on Oct. 8 to Nov. 6. Although it would not solve the parking problem, he said, it would mean students would not be there while so many people were coming in and out.

Plus, Brookner said, the district would not have to worry about the snow day issue.

“We avoid the problem of having to reclaim the day in the spring,” he said.

The board opted to defer a decision to the next meeting Sept. 27 in order to consider the issue and the suggestion, and wait to hear opinions from the board members who were absent from the meeting.