North Stonington - Holding school on the Columbus and Veterans' Day holidays could cost the school system almost $15,000 because of a contract stipulation that allows 23 staff members to be paid extra days' pay or take alternate days off, according to calculations by business manager Chuck McCarthy.

The Board of Education voted last month to hold school on Columbus and Veterans days after Tropical Storm Irene delayed the start of the school year by four days. Students must attend 180 days of school each school year, and with winter on the way, Superintendent of Schools Natalie Pukas said the board did not want to take any chances on extending the school year.

The contracts for the administrators, secretaries, central office and custodians/maintenance each have the stipulation in the event they work on certain paid holidays.

Pukas said this month that not all of the employees have decided yet whether to take the day off or be paid. Paraprofessionals, of which there are 19 in the district, also have the contract stipulation for the Veterans Day holiday, but have chosen to take a day off instead of the extra pay, McCarthy said.

The school would pay approximately $15,000 if all 23 staff members chose to be paid for both holidays, but Pukas said some have chosen the day off instead.

"When I brought this proposal to the Board of Education, I said there could be contractual ramifications," Pukas said. "I did not give them monetary figures."

For teachers, working on the holiday is similar to making up a snow day, Pukas said, and their contracts do not have the same stipulation.

Board of Education Vice Chairwoman Mary Ann Ricker, who is not running for re-election, said "every year has its challenges." Ricker said there's "certain variables," from graduation to vacation considerations that make creating a foolproof school calendar nearly impossible.

"Somehow you have to work your calendar so it all fits and meets the state's mandates, so you do the best you can," Ricker said. "I can't remember a school year that went by absolutely smoothly."

Last year, February vacation was shortened by four days and two contingency days scheduled around the Memorial Day holiday were canceled to make up for seven snow days. The school year ended for students on June 17.

That experience shaped the decision for this year, Ricker said, when the board found itself "between a rock and a hard place" from day one.

"We did deliberate about it and made the decision that we thought was best looking forward into our school calendar," she said. "It's not something we wanted to do but it was forced out of necessity because we couldn't go into winter with no extra days on our calendar for snow days. There's always a cost associated with decisions and circumstances."

s.goldstein@theday.com