Exeter board leans toward calendar with no snow makeup days; moves calendar to March 10 vote

The Exeter Township School Board signaled a preference for the original 2026–27 calendar (no snow makeup days) during a March 3 Committee of the Whole meeting and will move that calendar to a March 10 special voting meeting for formal action.

Chair Julia Schafer said she would take a straw poll presenting two options — Calendar A (original calendar without built‑in snow makeup days) and Calendar B (a version with two snow makeup days). After discussion about state flexibility in hour/day requirements and the district’s need for ongoing professional development, a majority of trustees indicated support for Calendar A and staff said they would place that calendar on the March 10 special voting meeting agenda.

Why it matters: administrators argued the original calendar better supports embedded professional development required by new state mandates (for example, structured literacy and other trainings). Trustees who favored the snow makeup option said they valued the family benefit of keeping Martin Luther King Jr. Day off the calendar if possible; staff explained trade‑offs for families and for professional learning time.

What the board decided to do next: Chair Schaefer announced the board will advance Calendar A to the March 10 voting meeting. The board also scheduled interviews for applicants to fill a board director vacancy (deadline for letters of interest is March 4 at 11:59 p.m.; interviews March 9) and said it would convene an executive session after the meeting to discuss contract negotiations and the vacancy.

No final vote on the calendar was taken at the committee meeting; trustees will take formal action at the March 10 special voting meeting.