Classes Added To Next Week's School Calendars

Families planning to get away Feb. 17 and Feb. 18 when school was scheduled to be out will have to wait, after the Watchung Hills Regional High School Board of Education approved a new calendar using the two days for classes.

The board needed to change the calendar because all scheduled snow days—plus one—have already been used. The final plan OK'd by the board uses Feb. 17, Feb. 18 and April 25. Any additional days needed will be taken from the spring break week, starting with April 8.

Warren Township schools are likely to adopt the same schedule for next week at the board of education meeting Monday. The district issued a letter by Superintendent Tami Crader detailing the plan Tuesday.

Initially, Superintendent Francis Stromsland had recommended shifting graduation and the last day of school, but that plan was not popular with the board.

Board members anguished over whether using the spring break days or adding to the school year would be more difficult, before agreeing to use the spring break dates. The debate lasted nearly 40 minutes before a consensus was reached, with members voting 8-1 in favor of the schedule (with Peter Falzarano voting against the resolution and Laura Mandell absent).

Feb. 17, previously scheduled as an in-service day for teachers with no classes, will serve as the make-up day for the snow day called during last week's ice storm. Having classes on Feb. 18 puts the school one day ahead, a slight cushion given this winter's weather.

Not lost on the board members is the potential for more snow cancellations, which have historically been most frequently called in March.

"Let's not forget we still have several weeks in February and all of March left," Dr. Stromland said.