Wellesley School Committee decision on Academic Calendar Task Force recommendations could come Dec. 10

Since the Academic Calendar Task force on Oct. 24 presented its recommendation to the School Committee about school holidays starting in SY2025-26, the Committee has discussed the matter over the course of three meetings, while continuing to take feedback from the community.

With the Task Force’s 14-4 vote, the group recommend an option for SY2025-26 that retains Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as holidays; adds Lunar New Year and either Eid Al-Fitr or Eid Al-Adha, depending on the year; and removes Good Friday and Diwali.

Good Friday, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur have been part of the school calendar for decades, while Diwali, Eid al-Fitr, and Lunar New Year made their first appearances this year, bringing the number of religious/cultural holidays up to six for SY2024-25.

Before making this final recommendation, the Task Force considered other options including a three-holiday calendar model that rotates holidays from year to year, and a model that retains all six holidays every year. A rotating three-holiday calendar model would have the disadvantage of disappointing many, but spreading that disappointment around. A model that retains all six holidays could cause the school year to run later into June. Add a bunch of snow days, and for sure, the days of school ending on June 13, as it did in 2024, would likely be over if a six-holiday model were adopted.

The final, final decision

The School Committee will meet on Dec. 10, but there’s no guarantee that they are going to vote on the Task Force’s recommendation at that meeting. Also, if the School Committee does vote, there is no guarantee that the vote would reflect acceptance of the Task Force’s recommendation. It’s important to note that during its discussion on Nov. 19, the School Committee did not formally take any models off the table.

At this point, what we know is that School Committee Linda Chow in an email to The Swellesley Report’s request for comment expressed gratitude to the Task Force for its work gathering data, running focus groups, tabulating survey results, and coming up with models. “The Committee plans further discussion on December 10,” Chow continued, “as well as a potential vote on both an overall model and the academic calendar for the 2025-26 school year.”

A potential vote. So Dec. 10 may or may not bring the final word on the matter of school holidays. Stay tuned.

More

Wellesley School Committee votes in Dec. 2023 to add three holidays to SY24-25 academic calendar