proposed academic calendar

The following academic calendar has been proposed for adoption by the Marietta City Schools Board of Education.

The board is expected to vote on the calendar at the March 28 regular meeting.


Background

Marietta City Schools Board of Education amended district policy this week to review the calendar above after Superintendent Will Hampton noted past practice has required the proposed calendar for the upcoming school year to sit for 30 days of review before adoption.

On Feb. 28, 2022, Board Member Russ Garrison proposed an amendment to the policy, allowing the board to vote on the calendar on March 28.

This public review comes after MCS Calendar Committee kicked off a  discussion on Jan. 13, 2022, with more than 15 representatives of staff, administration and additional student services.

Two options were created within that committee following the reiteration of professional development goals in the coming school year and how to reach those goals while maximizing available instructional time in the buildings. (Click the picture to review additional requirements by the Ohio Department of Education.)


Then on Feb. 9, the two options were published for a vote by each member of the district's staff, including members of both unions and administrators.

The vote concluded on Feb. 11 and the above calendar saw the most support from staff.

"We develop the calendar and we share it with the whole district," explained Hampton on Monday. "And then we come back and present it to the board to modify it as they see fit." 

Discussion by board members Monday included the question of snow days and the added benefits of Marietta City School's one-to-one student device deployment (a result of the coronavirus pandemic). 

Hampton noted that standard practice in past calendars has allowed for five calamity days to be used for inclement weather cancelation without the requirement to make up lost learning.

"But there's certainly something magical about getting school canceled when you're a kid," acknowledged Board President Eric Reed.

But like the wintery weather showed at the onset of 2022, what happens after five snow days have been called?

Before 1:1 distribution of devices, additional snow days would have resulted in either loss of spring break days or additional instructional days added onto the end of the school year.

The current board voted this year to waive that requirement after weather Jan. 28 created a sixth snow day in the 2021-2022 school year. 

This was followed by the use of a remote learning day on Feb. 4.

Marietta City Schools Board of Education is expected to also review additional policy concerning calamity days in the 2022-23 calendar during the March regular board meeting.