By Linda Conner Lambeck

WESTPORT–The school board, by a 6-0 vote on Thursday, finally settled on a 2026-27 calendar.

The calendar starts classes for students on Tuesday, August 25 and, even if there are five snow days, would let out no later than Friday, June 18.

A suggestion earlier this month that the district squeeze as many as three other days off in observance of the holidays of Diwali, Eid and the Lunar New Year was rejected.

“It’s a hard thing,” said Board Chair Lee Goldstein. 

Goldstein said while it is important to acknowledge the holidays, there are others, such as Three Kings Day, that were not even mentioned.

“We are a secular institution,” Goldstein said. “I would land on a calendar without those holidays.”

Adding the three holidays as days off from school would force the district to add days to the beginning or end of the school year or sacrifice several professional development days for staff that are sprinkled throughout the school year.

“I support the superintendent’s recommendation of not adding any new holidays,” said Board Vice Chair Dorie Hordon.

“Our role as a Board of Education is to educate students,” Hordon said.

Board Secretary Neil Phillips agreed, as long as it’s clear that teachers won’t assign tests on those days and that absences are excused.

The decision was made to revisit the 2026-27 calendar–approved by the school board more than a year ago–after five weather-related school closures this school year threatened to send school into the fourth week of June. Adjustments were made that shorten the 2025-26 school calendar for students to 180 days and made March 20 a full school day for students, instead of a professional development day for staff.

For next year, the newly approved calendar:

• ends on June 11 if there are no snow days.
• once again would hold school on the March staff training day if there are 6 snow days.
• snow days 7 and 8 would mean students attend school the state required minimum of 180 days not 182 as is district practice.
• snow day 9 would impact April break.

Board Member Stephen Shackelford wondered why the additional holidays couldn’t be observed with half days of school, with staff staying on for professional development for the remainder of the day.

Assistant Superintendent John Bayers said that idea did not sit well with staff.

Teachers would consider that disrespectful, Bayers said.

In a second motion, the board approved a 2027-28 school calendar that would observe the same snow day protocol on a 4-2 vote. Shackelford and Board Member Jill Dillon voted no.

Linda Conner Lambeck

^{_{Linda Conner Lambeck covers education for Westport Journal. She was a reporter for more than four decades at the Connecticut Post and other Hearst publications. She has covered education throughout Fairfield and New Haven counties. She is a proud member of the Education Writers Association.}}