"We're also looking into expanding the program to include community service projects, field studies, opportunities for gifted and talented students, technology camps and other projects that we don't have time for in a regular packed school year," said Young.
Young said that just under 400 students participated in the fall intercession this year.
"We set a goal of 500 in 2006, 600 in 2007 and 700 in 2008 to make the program more cost efficient," she said. "We're also looking at ways to make the participation in the fall intersession mandatory for students who need remediation and just-in-time assistance."
The proposed calendar includes Christmas and spring breaks, Dec. 20 to Jan. 2 and April 2 to 6; Thanksgiving break, Nov. 22 to 24; and fall intercession, from Oct. 9 to 13. Students will also have Labor Day, New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day and President's Day off.
Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) testing will be held the last week of April and the first week of May.
"We were trying to get as many instructional days before the testing period as possible," said Young. "We'll have 152 instructional days, which is more than this year."
This school year, students in Jessamine County will be in classrooms for 146 days before CATs testing starts.
The last day of school is Wednesday, May 24, which could change due to possible snow days.
Young said that many people in the community make long range plans, and they want to have the school calendar available way in advance.
"We'll try to have it ready early every year," she said.
Another item on the agenda was revisions to emergency-leave policies.
"We need some changes to our policies to allow some flexibility in case of extreme emergency situations," explained Young.
Last year, several employees needed time off because their children or spouses were being deployed, and they had to use their personal or vacation days for that.
"By building in a superintendent-approved option in the event of extreme emergency of an unexpected nature, we'll be able to approve a few more emergency leave requests. But, I must caution everyone that these decisions will be limited to rare circumstances and determined on case-by-case basis," said Young.
The board approved a first reading of the revisions, and the second reading will be considered in December.
