There are two days in February. Um so, I mean, ultimately we could uh but it wasn't part of the the original calendar proposal. So, that's the calendar for 2627. And I I would add that we need to vote on both the proposed calendar for 2627 and the proposed draft calendar for 2027 2028. >> Yeah. So we're adopting 2627 and then you know the draft for 2728 as as you just indicated. >> Correct. And I would say about the Indigenous People's Day slash ItalianAmerican Day um holiday that we've had off that we we had um we had some good discussion around that and um there was pretty much unanimous support that uh we talked about um higher education institutions not taking that and that that holiday not being um not being a day off for a lot of a lot of uh a lot of the communities around us.
Now, there's some things that go along with that as well. some districts have found a way to give these high school students um credits and also um civic leadership experience that they can use towards future college goals. So it would serve a purpose there as well. And hopefully if we wanted to do something like this, the school council would rotate somebody per year or even uh per season. I mean it really would be up to them. It wouldn't necessarily be the same person and we wouldn't necessarily have a say in who it was or, you know, how often they changed, but that would empower our kiddos to uh be involved in these decisions that shape their lives and their achievement levels. So, I'm hoping we can have a little bit of a discussion about that and see if it would even work for us. Um, but again, they would just be part of the discussion.
And as Jeff said, he put out a notice to the to the community, the school community as well. Did you get feedback from that? >> Yeah, I mean, no, nothing around that day. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Miss Colin, >> uh, two questions for you, Dr. Soulen. Uh, one, you know, we we I think everybody on the board received some emails from some community members that had some really good data that I that I took to heart about the continuity of of the the school weeks. Um, that one really registered with me. I mean, I think if you know, for the six people watching out there, right, like if you want to convince your boards and your elected officials to do something, like the way that they presented that data um was really moving to me. And I know that the calendar we would vote on tonight for next school year isn't yet finalized because you still need to plug in your professional development and and some other things.
They would ask questions. They would give their opinions and their feedback. They would not be voting members. >> Thanks. Do we have a second? >> Second. >> All right. Do we have any discussion, questions, thoughts, opinions? >> Yeah. Member Den, >> now that I'm speaking the words to you all about this, I'm wondering if this is something that should we be interested in doing it, it might be something to send to the policy subcommittee to craft a policy or a beginning policy, gathering the information from the districts that have done it to get an idea of how that would fit in to our committee because we'd be adding another another body. We'd want some rules and regulations around that, I would think. >> Okay. So, is that a slight amendment to the motion is to create this role and then refer >> Yes. Okay. And that has been approved also by the second.
Um, where do you think we'll end on that? Do you think we'll have more weeks that are consistent? >> So, I think that's a that's a something we're efforting toward. Yeah. Um, once these dates get adopted, Marlene and I will work around things like historical trips like uh, you know, DC and and um, um, nature's classroom and, uh, the YMCA trips that we do. The they just approved a field trip for uh, our music students to go to an adjudication. We work around those dates. the uh open houses and all those other things that we try and schedule around. I I had a really interesting conversation um a couple of weeks ago with the superintendent in West Hartford who um just indicated, you know, we've had every Wednesday is a half day basically forever and that's really all we really have. And so um said it was really valuable, has great continuity.
Um, okay. Hearing the motion as amended. >> Any more thoughts, discussion? What do we what do we think about this? member Goodwin. >> I've just been a a student council adviser for many years. There's also rules for student council. So, you might have to look more at honor societies versus student council. I mean, you would have to there are guidelines. Um they actually have their own policy. >> So, but I am concerned. I'm not sure we're ready for one more personality, one more voice at the table yet. We I mean, we've just talked about mediation. So, adding another person um send it to them. >> All right, I've got uh member child. >> I'm strongly in favor of this. We have some really really impressive kids at our high school who could probably walk onto a city council and a good chunk of cities and the state and country.
it's different. Um, but at least there's a lot of consistency to it. Um, so I think there's, you know, a lot of room for conversation there to how do we get the best of both worlds because I appreciate, you know, as a parent, you know, how difficult it was for me to finagle that with my own kids and everything. And then, um, I also appreciate as an educator the value that we gain from that time. Um and uh yeah, we don't have the same consistent weeks uh that some do. We also have different performance than others do. And you know, I'm not going to say it's entirely attributed to that obviously, but there are a number of factors, but I know that we consider the time valuable with our staff. So trying to find a balance that works better is certainly a target for us.
So I think it will really enrich all of us to have their voice at the table. member what >> um I think this would end up in the policy, but I know that we have a lot of meetings who that run late and I will say as a parent of a teenage child, I would not want my child here likely past 9:00 at night knowing that I want them to have their best foot forward the next school day. So I think um if it does pass when it goes to policy we need to have guidelines around what time there to be done. >> Thank you. Yes. Member Deni. >> Sorry. The last thing I'd say is that the reason that I bring it up now is because I don't think that this would happen quickly. Like I I'm guessing that this would take like if we just decided today to like start exploring this.
>> Thank you. Thank you. And that that leads into my second question here as we look at the proposed draft calendar for next year that if that's a target and that's a goal and there was a lot of good dialogue around the holiday in October. Um I I notice it's right back on the draft calendar for the following year to have it off. [clears throat] Um you know I and I know this isn't the final calendar that we would be adopting but >> actually I mean that date is >> it's gonna be Yonapore. So yeah, it does say it on there as well. I mean, I think I would be happy taking it off of there to be honest with you. But >> yeah, and we still can, right? >> You just leave it as Yam Kapoor. >> Yeah. >> Okay. I I think that would be good just for clarity and then Yeah.
I can't imagine that we would be ready to implement it until like the beginning of the next school year, like September or even the following year after a break or something. I don't see this happening quickly. So, I thought if this is coming down the pipeline and if they're talking about this bill and if we want if we want to do this, then we best start the process of learning how it would fit in because it's going to take some some untangling and some thought and a lot of conversations with a lot of people that we maybe don't even have conversations with yet. >> Absolutely. Member Diamond, >> um I think it's a great idea. I think that um we need to hear more from students directly. Um and I I also agree with um those members who have pointed out that it might be something that needs to be phased in.
>> And then the community can understand that for at least these two years. And I I don't see why, >> you know, what in three years would happen that we say, "Hey, let's go back and take that day off." But um yeah, I I would be in favor of that. [snorts] >> Yeah. The other thing uh Matt that we discussed was that October is when elementary schools have their conference days, right? So those have to be worked into October. And so it's another reason to have another day in October. >> And and I will add because I did have the thought over the weekend about that second April or uh February day and my wife reminded me about all of the illness that was going around and what a great break that is. >> Yeah. to say, "Okay, let's go back and reset after." So, I'm >> totally agree.
Um not immediately. Uh but yeah, it does seem clear that it's going to take some time. Anyway, uh, one question that I have is, um, what kind of complications could we expect with having a student representative sitting in on executive session? And, um, it would it be possible to they would not be invited to executive session. Okay, that clarifies that for me. Okay, I think we're ready for a vote. We've heard from most folks. Member Webb, will you call the role? And just remember, this is a motion to create this position and refer it to the policy subcommittee for further elucidation and they'll bring that back to us. >> Member Dyman, >> yes. >> Member Goodwin, >> abstain. >> Chair Ston, >> yes. Member W. I'm going to abstain as well. Vice Chair Childs, >> yes. >> Uh, member Denive, >> yes. >> Mayor Dorer, >> yes.
[laughter] You know, it um it is an opportunity to kind of clear the house a little bit when sometimes, knock on wood, it hasn't been uh an issue as much this year, but in years past it certainly has been. >> Okay. Um Mr. White, >> thank you. Yeah. So, just stepping back in time, probably a year or two ago, I'm not sure exactly when, we had um when we changed from Columbus Day to Indigenous People's Day slash Italian American Day, I didn't really care for doing that. And one of the reasons that I didn't care for doing it is I didn't really care for the name Indigenous People's Day. I didn't feel as though there was any um doing that didn't provide any local meaning. So I reached out to his name was Mike Thomas, a director of I forget director of education with the Peekquats and I spoke to him about it [clears throat] and he said he could appreciate where I was coming from about something being more meaningful.
>> All right, it passes with two abstensions. Thank you. And at this time, we have just passed 8:30 and it is our practice to give ourselves a fivem minute break. So, please let us break for five minutes. Bang. Boom. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. remember a good one. Come reel it in. Um, thank you. All right, so we return to new business. Our next motion, this is item D in the list. Motion from member Den to have the school committee meet every other month with the student advisory council as per Massachusetts general law. Member Den, would you like to provide the rationale for this? >> Okay, so this one is is it's a law. We're supposed to be doing this. Um, not everybody does, but MASC has said, you know, you should try, you should at least try see it because not everybody has a very functional um, advisory council um, or are in the process of making them functional.
So if we were going to go down this path, he suggested Eastern Woodlands tribe day because that is the Native Americans that lived here three or 400 years ago. That was the um how they viewed themselves as the Eastern Woodlands tribe. Um, he also mentioned that the US uses puts indigenous people day in October typically and I know there's other towns around here that do that and I'm sure other states and stuff. Uh, but he also pointed out to me and I so I just want to increase public awareness of the awareness of this. Indigenous people's day exists around the world and it's in August. It's not October. and he really I don't think he quite understood what it was about unless it was just simply like switching Columbus Day over to Indigenous People's Day. Um, but it does exist and it's a holiday in August.
So, and I know that we have a functioning one now. So, we should try make an effort to to do this law. So, the law says and I put it here in the rationale so that you can all read it. It says, "School committees of cities, towns, and regional school districts shall meet at least once every other month during the month school is in session with a student advisory committee to consist of five members to be composed of students elected by the student body of the high school in each city, town, or regional school district. So, a school committee may designate a student outreach coordinator for the purpose of ensuring the establishment of a student advisory committee and regularly informing the advisory committee of the school committee's agenda. So basically, somebody needs to get appointed to be this outreach coordinator and go every other month and meet with them and hear what they have to say, let them know what the school committee is doing and what our year-long agenda is and where we are with that and bring their desires back to us and our desires to them.
Anyway, I'm uh I'm in favor of what we're doing right now and uh not having that first Monday celebrated as a holiday. And that really is largely because of the email that we got that I'm guessing Matt was referencing before, which was uh a datadriven approach to looking at our weeks looking at education here in Cheshire. And the superintendent went over it while we were there uh while at the curric at the calendar committee meeting. And I don't think anyone's mentioned this tonight, public schools in Connecticut, basically everybody has 40 weeks in a year. And the superintendent told us the range of school districts and how many full five day weeks they have. Most of them are 21 to 23. And correct me if I'm off base here, Jeeoff. Most of them around 21 to 23. Ignoring Cheshure, the range, the low was uh 16 and the high was 28 full 5day weeks.
So it's a bridge and it's required by law and we have not done it, but maybe now we're in a position to do it. And um it was my understanding that as part of the motion you were putting yourself forward for this representative role. Yes, >> I'm willing to do it. If anybody else has the desire, great. >> Okay. >> But um I'm also now wondering if we maybe need to refer it to the policy subcommittee to create a policy around it now that I'm saying the words again. Um, but I would just say that whoever does it, part of this would be to make a calendar so that we know when you'll be meeting every other month and then bringing it back to us so that we know what is occurring and what we can expect, you know, when we when we can expect reports is what I'm trying to say.
And I was interested in this because I've been on the board of ed for six years now. And since I got on since I got on the board of ed, probably the single most recurring comment I've heard from people, not in like a really like angry way or anything like that, but sort of like, why do we have so many days off? Why are there so many early dismissals? It's a it's a I think it's a nuisance to a lot of parents in general. And not to say that what we're doing is bad, but the inconsistency, I think, is is a real issue. >> It's it's a nuisance for us sometimes, too. >> Yeah. And so we looked at it, the superintendent looked at it and we're below that lowest number 16. We actually only have 15 full five day weeks. I believe that's what you had said.
>> Okay. >> Yep. >> Okay. Um, so we have the motion >> and do we have a second? Second. >> Second. >> So, we have a motion for member Den. We have a second from member child's. Discussion time. Okay. I can contribute. I mean, I think in general, if it is my understanding that many school committees do not do this, whether they've tried and failed or not tried at all, I can't speak to that. But what I can speak to is that we get the choice to do what we want to do. And I have heard consistently over the years, even before I was a member of this committee, that student voice is an important part of what we want to be hearing. that it is it matters to us that we care about hearing what our students want and what they need more importantly um what they think how they're thinking about things and so I am inclined to support the motion um I maybe would amend it to refer it to policy to develop some more of this like how does this actually happen um is that something that the seconder would also be amend amendable to all Right.