Schools

2014-15 Framingham School Calendar Unanimously Approved

Mark your calendar, the majority of Framingham Public School students will return to school on Wednesday August 27, from summer vacation.

The Framingham School Committee unanimously approved the 2014-15 Framingham Public School calendar Tuesday night.

As Framingham Patch reported yesterday, the school administration put forth Option 1 to the School Committee.

Framingham Superintendent of School Stacy Scott said Option 2 was too soon for the community and really was proposed to start a conversation early for what the school calendar could look like in the 2015-16 school year.

There was no public comment and almost no discussion by the Framingham School Committee, before the unanimous vote.

Scott in presenting his option to the Committee said he knew there was interest from the parents to start school after Labor Day, but that was not possible with this calendar.

The Superintendent also said he was aware parents would prefer to see the half days Thursdays be on Fridays, but under contractural agreements with the unions, that was not possible this year either.

He said he would have liked to have considered a shorter February vacation to get school out earlier in June, but after consulting with principals and staff, he opted to keep the full February break.

Some believe the break is needed to get staff and students healthy and to air out the buildings of germs in February, said Scott to the School Committee.

He said the long holiday break until Jan. 5, will help the district save money with utility (heat) costs. He said he considered having students return on Friday, Jan. 2 but it made the most sense financially to have them return on Monday, Jan. 5.

He said he hoped parents, who do not celebrate the Jewish New Year in September, will appreciate that he added a professional development day before the Jewish holidays, so some parents could enjoy a 5-day weekend.

In regards to questions asked by Parents on Framingham Patch and its Facebook page, Scott said it is not possible to have all the professional development days be before the start of school. He said it is important for teachers to have some time to adjust to the school year, understand the needs of its students and then have a day or two to have professional development during the school year.

So when do students return to school after the summer break?

  • Aug. 26: First day of school for Framingham High freshman
  • Aug. 27: First day of school for students in grades 1-12
  • Aug. 28: First day of school for kindergarten
  • Sept. 1: No school - Labor Day
The last day of school  is scheduled for Wednesday, June 17 (180th day) 2015 and Wednesday, June 24 (185th day). 

The Class of 2015 will graduate on Sunday, June 7.

School vacation weeks for 2014-15 are:
  • Dec. 24 -Jan. 4: No school -  Holiday vacation
  • Feb. 16-20: No school - Presidents Day & Winter vacation
  • April 20-24: No school - Patriots Day & Spring Vacation
Other highlights of the calendar include:

Sept 24: No school - professional development day
Sept 25-26: No school - Rosh Hashanah
Oct. 30: Early release - entire school district
Nov. 4: No school - Election Day & Professional development
Jan. 30: No school - professional development
March 5: Early release - entire school district
April 3: No school - Good Friday
May 21: Early release - entire district

Option 1 also has early release days on Thursdays Oct. 2, 9, 16 and 30 for elementary school students and early releases for middle school students on Thursdays Oct. 2, 16, 30 and Dec. 4 in 2014.

There are elementary early release days on Thursdays Feb. 5, March 5, April 2, April 9, April 16, May 21 and June 4  and middle school early release days on Thursdays Feb. 5, March 5, April 2, May 21 and June 4 for middle school students.

***

What do you think of the calendar for 2014-15? What would you like to see for the 2015-16 school year? Post your comments below.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here