Longer school days will make up for snow losses

HARVARD -- Further changes have been announced to the Harvard school calendar, due to the additional snow days used this stormy winter.

Massachusetts law requires students to attend class for 180 days in a school year. Following the lost school days due to December's ice storm, the school calendar was adjusted. Lost time would have been made up by holding a half-day of school on Good Friday, April 10 (which is traditionally a holiday break from school) and extending the last day of school to Friday, June 26.

However, there were two more snow days used even after those adjustments were made. Harvard School Superintendent Thomas Jefferson then petitioned the state for relief from the 180-day requirement.

Jefferson announced to the School Committee at Monday's meeting, and again with pre-recorded ConnectEd telephone calls to student family households on Tuesday, that the Commissioner of Education has provided the Harvard schools with a conditional waiver to the 180-day requirement. But there were strings attached.

To help make up the lost time, eight school days will be extended by adding 45 more minutes of instructional time to the end of regular school days. The extended days will occur on a series of seven Mondays and one Tuesday, as listed below. The extended day will apply to both Harvard Elementary and Bromfield School students. Parents were told that the School Department is aware that particular family needs may require releasing students at an earlier


time and so regular procedures for the early release of a student should be followed in those eventualities.

The eight school days lengthened by 45 minutes each will be on Monday, March 30; Monday, April 6; Monday, April 13; Monday, April 27; Monday, May 4; Monday, May 11; Monday, May 18; and Tuesday, May 26.

Moment of silence

The School Committee opened its meeting with a moment of silence in memory of Jessica Peterson and in support of the Peterson family. A Bromfield freshman, "Jessie" was killed last weekend when a dead tree fell on her and her mother at their East Bare Hill Road home.

Economic stimulus for Harvard

It's a "good kind of problem we've never had before," said Superintendent Jefferson.

Jefferson was pleased to report to the School Committee that the Harvard School System will receive federal economic stimulus funds, to the tune of $53,277.

Gov. Deval Patrick announced last Thursday that $168 million in federal education recovery funds were being divided between cities and towns for school districts for fiscal year 2010.

In addition, Jefferson told the committee he expects a second round of education spending for FY2010, and that preliminary estimates he's heard could bring the town an additional $170,000 in funding over two years via the Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act. Jefferson said Harvard was eligible for the money because its Chapter 70 reimbursement remained below the 17.5 percent target established in the state's revised formula.

Because it's a windfall and not a steady revenue stream, Jefferson warned that the money should not be used for funding personnel for fear of having to cut back again later. Rather, Jefferson suggested spending for intervention programs, professional development, and upgrading technology, which "are all key goal areas aligned with our strategic plan."

When the committee considered pulling back on a town meeting request for funding for additional Smart Board units for the classroom, Jefferson advised that the warrant article be left in place until all the conditions for the stimulus money are more clearly understood over the next couple of weeks.

School choice advertising

The Harvard schools are projected to receive some $408,000 this year thanks to school choice enrollment. However, seven students are due to graduate.

Jefferson announced he'll start advertising to fill potential openings in grades K (half-day slot only), three, six, 10 and 11. The addition of 10 more school choice students into the system would help keep the town "on target" to meet the $425,000 school choice funding stream built into the School Department's proposed FY2010 budget.