The Board of Education Monday night approved a school calendar for next year that is little changed from this year.
But it rejected a recommendation from the schools superintendent that it regularly schedule additional board meetings and start them earlier.
The calendar was approved by a 7-0 vote.
Before the vote, board member Mary Parmelee, a Democrat, questioned Schools Supt. Elliott Landon as to the makeup of the staff committee that drafted the calendar. Parents had been on past calendar committees.
Staples student body head Rob Sobleman addresses Board of Ed Monday night. WestportNow.com photo
We went through the process without parents,Ӕ Landon said, adding that the Board of Education would have the final say.Ӕ
Parmelee said she hoped parents would be added back to the committee next year.
The calendar calls for students to report for classes Sept. 1, 2004, the Wednesday before the Monday Labor Day holiday.
A number of parents this year as well as in the past had asked that school not start before Labor Day to better accommodate summer vacation plans.
As to having additional board meetings Landon had recommended three a month instead of the present two and that they start at 7:30 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. to accommodate more board business and public input ֖ no formal vote was taken.
But the idea seemed to win little favor among board members.
Democrat Mark Mathias, a freshman, said that if the board created more shelf space,Ӕ theyd only manage to fill it. Instead he suggested their meetings could be run ғa little tighter to get more work done.
Mathias also said he did not endorse another Landon suggestion that public comment be limited to only one meeting a month. ԓIm not for meeting without public input,Ҕ he said.
Also not winning much support was a suggestion by Parmelee that board meetings also be scheduled for the occasional Friday mornings so more members of the public could attend.
Rob Sobleman, head of the Staples High School student legislative body, asked that regular board meetings be scheduled to coincide with the Tuesday night meetings of his group.
Several members said special meetings could be held, but there appeared to be little support for scheduling regular board meetings with the student parliamentarians.
