School District Unveils 2011-2012 School Calendar

Fort Lee students will attend the required 183 days, while their teachers will work 186 days—also meeting a requirement—during the 2011-2012 school year. But some members of the public at Monday’s Board of Education meeting expressed concerns over how early in the year school starts and questioned whether the schedule could be adjusted somewhat to allow for a slightly later start date.

“There’s been a lot of discussion among the moms, and we’re trying to alleviate some of the heat in June,” one concerned mother told the board. “We’re trying to shorten the school year, so the kids are not sweating, uncomfortable and it’s hot and humid in the schools. There’s just nothing we can do about it.”

According to the calendar approved by the board Monday, school starts September 6 this year—the Tuesday after Labor Day. There are eight full days off for holidays with Nov. 23 and Dec. 23 both early dismissal days prior to holidays during 2011, which also has two additional early dismissal days for professional development. Added to that is a one-week winter break, which this year is Dec. 26 – Dec. 30.

Fort Lee students return to school on Jan. 2, a Monday in 2012, and will enjoy four days off for holidays, a weeklong break in February and another week off in April. There are two early dismissal days for professional development and early dismissal on June 21 and 22, the last two days of school.

Suggestions and questions from the public included the following:

• Can we look at some of the religious holidays—whether we need both days off for Rosh Hashanah, and do we need Good Friday?
• Do we need Columbus Day off?
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day?
• Maybe lessen the winter break?

“Please keep in mind with the religious holidays, that we have a wonderful mix of religions in Fort Lee,” said the concerned mother. “We have the Jewish holidays. We also have the public holidays that we don’t go to school for. Do we want to take off for one and not the other?”

Other issues included:  

• Concern because Fort Lee has a different schedule than some of the districts in the area (Edgewater only takes one day off for Rosh Hashanah).

• The suggestion that the number of days dedicated to parent-teacher conferences, which result in early dismissal, be reduced making it three days and thereby further consolidate.

“All of the different schools in Bergen County follow different schedules,” said Fort Lee Superintendent of Schools Raymond Bandlow. “There’s two or three different variations that go around. There is no commonality. There is a constituency that would be very offended if we did not celebrate certain dates. Columbus Day. The Jewish holidays. I think if we were to ask people should we have a winter break or should we not, I’m not sure there would be a consensus on that. [Early dismissal days are] also a negotiable item that we have a certain amount of out time after the 1 p.m. dismissal that allows for parent conferences."

Board president Carmelo Luppino said there may be some wiggle room, noting that certain holidays and even conference days are mandated and others are not, but that “it’s a fine line that’s been going on for years.”

“We’re going to look into it,” Luppino said. “See which are mandated and which aren’t and see what kind of [adjustments] we can make”

“I’m all for that,” said board vice president Peter Suh. “I’d like to cut as much as possible.”