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Students in the Berryville School District will start Christmas break a little later than usual during the 2023-2024 school year after the approval of a district calendar at the school board’s regular meeting held Tuesday, Feb. 21.
With the support of district faculty, the school board voted to approve “Calendar B” over “Calendar A,” with the main difference in the two being dates for Christmas break, according to Superintendent Owen Powell.
In the approved calendar, students will start their holiday break on Dec. 21 and return to class on Jan. 8, 2024. This year, students returned to class from Christmas break on Jan. 2.
“The develops two calendars and sends them out to all the faculty, and they vote on that,” Powell said. “We had Calendar A and Calendar B and Calendar B was the favorite by about 69 percent.
“The main differences in the calendars was Christmas break. One started earlier, Dec. 16, and then we went back to school on Jan. 3. Calendar B starts Christmas break on the 21st of December. We will have a professional development day for staff on Jan. 5 and students will actually come back …. on Jan. 8.”
Powell said he felt staff preferred Calendar B because it goes more into January.
“The third quarter seems to be really low,” he said. “In the second quarter, we have a week off for Thanksgiving, then you come back to school for a couple of weeks and then you get two more weeks off.
“And that third quarter, January, it’s cold. February, it’s cold. And to just get a little more of a break in January, helps during a long third quarter.”
OTHER BOARD ACTION
In other action at the Feb. 21 meeting, the board approved a proposal by a group of parents to start a PTA, Powell said.
“It’s mainly going to focus on the elementary schools, K-2 and 3-5,” he said. “And hopefully it will eventually be district-wide.”
The board also voted in favor of the district investing into a certificate of deposit at CS bank, a move that will earn the district more than $47,000, Powell said.
“As everybody knows, interest rates have been going up for about the last year,” he said. “There’s a great opportunity for return on CDs. So, the school district is going to invest $1 million into this and for one year it will have a 4.7 percent return.
“So, basically, the school will earn $47,100 on the CD investment. It’s just a really good opportunity for us to invest and get a good return on it and be good stewards of the taxpayer dollars.”
Board members also approved spending $10,107 on 30 desks, 30 chairs and six tables at the middle school and purchasing a new dishwasher ($48,543) and oven ($33,681) for the cafeteria at the intermediate school.
“Two pieces of equipment went out in the intermediate cafeteria,” Powell said. “That equipment is super expensive, but it’s a necessity. You’ve got to have it.”
Powell also reported to the board that the district’s current enrollment is 1,818 students.
“That is up over 50 students from this time last year,” he said.
In personnel action, the board approved the hire of Edward Wallace as a cafeteria manager and the transfer of Daniel Smith from Tech II to Tech III/Coordinator.
The board also approved the resignations of Mallory Watkins as intermediate teacher, Paige Edwards as high school counselor (at the end of the current contract) and Kim Ray as dyslexia coordinator (at the end of the current contract).
All administrators, including principals, also had their contract renewals approved.
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