By Per Peterson
Tracy Area Public Schools and St. Mary’s School will use a planned spring break day, March 14, as a make-up day.
The Tracy Education Association (TEA) on Tuesday voted on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to allow the district to make up the February 8 snow day on Thursday, March 14. The TEA voted in favor of having school on March 14.
According to the TEA Master Employment Agreement, 30 days notification is required in order to make up a missed day of school on a previously scheduled vacation day, TAHS Supt. Chad Anderson said.
“In order to divert from any of the language in the TEA Master Employment Agreement, all teachers need to vote on a Memorandum of Understanding,” he said. “At the February board meeting, the TAPS Board directed me to research possible ways to use March 14 and possibly March 15 as a school make up day. I met with the TEA leadership and we created an MOU that asked teachers to vote on making up March 14 but not March 15.”
Anderson said forgoing the language in the TEA contract will be just for this school year.
March 14-15 were originally slated to be spring break days on the school calendar, but because of the number of instructional hours lost to the weather in February, the school district was left to find ways to make those hours up.
Nine days (four in January and five in February) have been lost to the weather, but five of those were Virtual Learning Days and won’t have to be made up. Days missed on February 8, 12, 20 and 25, however, all have to made up. The first three will be made up on April 22, May 30 and May 31, and the February 25 snow day will now be made up on Thursday, March 14. March 15 will remain a spring break day for now.
Teachers had to turn in their request to be gone on March 14 last Wednesday to allow the schools to plan accordingly and find substitutes to cover classes.
There have also been five two-hour late starts and two early dismissals.
The last day for students is currently May 31 and teacher check-out is June 3.
“There are no other plans to make up school as of (March 7) if we continue to miss school due to inclement weather,” Anderson said. “The goal of the TAPS board and administration is not to have students return to school following May 31. Currently, we are now making up every day lost due to inclement weather.”