PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — With above-average snowfall and several days of high winds this winter, some Aroostook County school districts will have to make up some snow days.
“This winter has been a challenge somewhat, especially the last snowstorm with the winds,” said Superintendent Elaine Boulier, who oversees SAD 42 in the Mars Hill area.
The school district has two snow days to make up, she said.
“For the most part, we’ve had early release days and we’ve come in late, so it hasn’t impacted the schedule too much.”
In Easton, the school district will be making up for three snow days so far, said superintendent Roger Shaw.
Friday, March 22, originally scheduled as a teacher workshop day, will now be a regular student day, and the final student day of the year will be moved back one day, to Monday, June 17, Shaw said. The make up for the third day is still to be decided, he said.
At SAD 42, Boulier said the district will be considering its options for making up the two days there.
“We are still at the early part of March. If things hold, my proposal is going to be to extend the end of the year by one day and then use later early release days to make up another day. The last day would be Friday, June 14.”
Several years ago, the district decided to make up snow days by extending the school day by one hour for five Thursdays in a row.
“There’s pluses and minuses to that,” Boulier said. “Staff were in consensus that if we do that again, we should do it all in one week.”
The state government requires 175 instructional days per year for kindergarteners to 11th graders, and 170 days for high school seniors. Districts decide the schedule at the local level.
In Presque Isle, MSAD 1 has had four snow days this school year, in addition to multiple delays and early releases, but built five storm days into the calendar.
As it stands now, the last day of school for high schoolers is Thursday June 20, and the last pre-K to 8th grade day will be Thursday June, 13, said superintendent Gehrig Johnson.
