Easton, Redding, Region 9 Boards of Education To Meet Tonight

The Redding, Easton and Region 9 Boards of Education are scheduled to discuss the central office's proposed budget for the 2013-2014 school year, as well as the districts' potential calendars for the next three years at its annual January meeting tonight.

According to documents provided by Mark Lewis, vice chair of the Region 9 Board of Education, the central office has proposed a budget of $1.64 million for next year, a 1.82 percent increase of about $30,000 from the current budget of $1.61 million. (The full proposal is attached in .pdf form to this article.)

The tri-board will also discuss possible calendars for the 2013-2014, 2014-2015, and 2015-2016 school years. 

Lewis said the district will likely consider the following three options for next year's calendar:

• Start the school year a few days earlier on the Monday before Labor day.
• Trim the February vacation to a long four day weekend break as was tried a couple of years ago.
• Have a planned end date of June 6.

"I anticipate the customary debate—there is no “perfect” calendar—of the merits of these changes which are intended to best plan for any days off due to weather or other factors," Lewis wrote in an email. "While the calendar is an individual decision for each School District/Board we usually have the same calendar, except for some different Professional Development days, in order to use our common busses as efficiently as possible and to accommodate families with children both at Barlow and in one of the K-8 Districts." 

Other agenda items include a food service presentation, a safe school climate plan and an update on teacher and administrator evaluations. 

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the library at Joel Barlow High School.