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Schools

School calendar fight may recur

After a public outcry last year, the board sought much more public input this year. The result: a secular calendar. One board member is very unhappy.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published September 30, 2006

TAMPA - A new proposal to strip all religious holidays from Hillsborough County's school calendar has generated little reaction from groups that opposed the idea a year ago.

But at least one School Board member has no intention of staying quiet.

An incensed Jennifer Faliero said Friday that it's ludicrous to scrub what she considers tradition and culture from the school district's operations. Days off for Good Friday and Yom Kippur must remain in the calendar, she said.

The committee that recommended the secular calendar "totally missed the reasons why there was a national outcry," Faliero said. "If we don't make changes, we're going to be right back where we were."

She said she was "tempted to leak this to Bill O'Reilly," referring to the Fox News commentator who turned last year's calendar debate into a national argument.

"This country is a majority Christian nation," Faliero said. "I need to take a stand on that for principle alone."

She could end up alone on the School Board.

Although it later changed its mind, the board initially voted 5-1 in favor of a secular calendar last fall. Faliero was the sole opponent.

Several board members who later switched their votes said that calendar process was not sufficiently transparent. This year, the calendar committee surveyed hundreds of parents and solicited dozens of e-mails.

Board member Candy Olson, one of those to flip positions last year, complimented the calendar committee on its recent work. Students deserve a calendar that focuses on academic requirements, she said, noting that U.S. schools are far behind other industrialized nations in their number of class days.

"If we want our kids to learn and be able to compete, we're going to have to make adjustments," Olson said.

Carol Kurdell, who steadfastly backed the secular calendar, has not changed her mind.

"People have the availability to take off whatever religious holidays they need to," she said. "That's a fair way to do it."

Two candidates vying for an open board seat said they would stand by the proposed calendar, which is expected to come up for a vote after the November election.

District 6 candidate Ken Allen said he would like to support community traditions such as having Good Friday off. But many parents have to work the holiday, he said, which creates child care problems. He is more concerned with giving students breaks for both the State Fair and the Strawberry Festival than with the rest of the calendar.

Opponent April Griffin said she would prefer to give days off for major Christian, Jewish and Muslim holidays. But given the limitations, including a state-mandated later start date and a Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test schedule that includes Good Friday, "this calendar is the best way to go."

Faliero, who won a second term in September, said the state's FCAT schedule should not provide cover for the district's decision to end its Good Friday vacation. In fact, she said, people should be outraged at the state's timing.

A representative of the Education Department said Good Friday is not a state holiday. However, if a school district wishes to offer the day off, it can request a test schedule change from the department.

Faliero argued that Hillsborough should take such a stance.

She said teacher absenteeism alone would make it hard to teach students on Good Friday. Many families travel for the Easter weekend, she said, and observant teachers are likely to use personal days on the Friday before.

Also, Faliero said, Hillsborough County schools have a tradition of recognizing Good Friday and, since 2001, Yom Kippur. Those days should retain their status, she contended, and the district should not worry about catering to other religious groups.

"This county is not ready to give up its tradition," she said. "That's what this is all about."

[Last modified September 30, 2006, 06:29:47]