Stonington school board sets Thursday meeting to discuss 'school calendar'

Stonington — It appears the Board of Education will reconsider its controversial decision to eliminate three days from the upcoming April vacation.

The board emerged from a 75-minute executive session at about 8:20 p.m. and announced that prior to negotiating issues surrounding the change with the teachers union, it will meet on Thursday at 7 p.m. at a location to be determined to further "explore the issue of the school calendar."

Board Chairwoman Gail MacDonald declined to make any further comment. Asked if residents will have a chance to address the board at that meeting, she said the board meetings traditionally have a public comment section at the beginning.

The board went into the closed door session tonight to discuss a letter from the teachers' union which requested that the board and union enter "impact bargaining" to negotiate issues affecting teachers because of the change in the school calendar.

Before beginning those negotiations, though, the teachers have asked the school board to revisit its decision and instead have students attend school on June 11, 12 and 13, after graduation. (This information has been corrected from an earlier version of this story.) The union also has recommended that graduation remain on June 8, and instead have seniors attend school for three days during the week after graduation. This would give seniors the opportunity to attend 180 days of school, the minimum that towns must provide under state law.

j.wojtas@theday.com