Muscogee County School District releases options for 2016-17 calendar

If you want to influence how many days the Muscogee County School District will have for the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, and the date for the last day of classes in the school year, then here’s your chance.

MCSD assistant superintendent Rebecca Braaten has emailed the district’s more than 3,000 school-based employees a survey about next school year’s calendar. Those employees, including bus drivers, have until Thursday at 10 a.m. to respond to the online poll. And that’s the general public’s deadline to sway those employees’ opinions.

But the Muscogee County School Board will make the ultimate decision. The board is scheduled to vote on the issue at a called meeting, 5 p.m. Monday, in advance of its regular work session.

The board was expected to finalize the calendar during its March 14 meeting, when superintendent David Lewis recommended calendars for the next two school years. The administration’s proposal was based on a 19-member committee comprising four teachers, three principals, five parents, one representative from a local postsecondary education institution, four district staff members and two representatives from surrounding jurisdictions (one from Phenix City, one from Harris County), according to a document attached to the agenda.

But, led by objections from Naomi Buckner of District 4 and Frank Myers of District 8, the board declined to approve either calendar. The biggest beef was the proposed Thanksgiving break being that Wednesday through Friday instead of the whole week. Rather than rely on the 19-member committee, the board directed Lewis to survey all school-based employees, as the administration did last year.

Kia Chambers, the nine-member board’s lone countywide representative, expressed concern about approving two years worth of calendars and being “stuck” with a reduced Thanksgiving break without knowing whether “there are bugs to be worked out.”

As a result, the board voted on tabling Lewis’ original recommendation, the one with the two years worth of calendars, and that passed 8-1, with only chairman Rob Varner of District 5 opposed.

Then the board voted on only the 2016-17 calendar. That proposal failed 2-7, with only Varner and District 7 representative Shannon Smallman voting yes.

So residents have until Monday to contact their school board representatives and share their opinion before the 2016-17 calendar is set.

The survey requires school-based staff to enter their employee number to ensure nobody can vote more than once, Braaten told the Ledger-Enquirer. The survey presents two options for the 2016-17 calendar. Here are the differences:

Option A

▪  Three days off for Thanksgiving break.

▪  Last day of classes before Christmas break is Dec. 21.

▪  Ten days off for Christmas break.

▪  Third teacher professional development day is Jan. 5.

▪  Teacher planning day is Jan. 6.

▪  Last day of classes in the school year is May 19.

Option B

▪  Five days off for Thanksgiving break.

▪  Last day of classes before Christmas break is Dec. 20.

▪  Thirteen days off for Christmas break.

▪  Third teacher professional development day is Jan. 9.

▪  Teacher planning day is Jan. 10.

▪  Last day of classes in the school year is May 26.

This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 7:22 PM with the headline "Muscogee County School District releases options for 2016-17 calendar."