Retiring Cobre School Board member Frances Kelly, left, accepts from Chairman Toy Sepulveda a plaque honoring her services, as Robert Montoya, at right, who is also retiring, looks on.

Photo and article by Margaret Hopper

The Cobre school board opened its February 27, 2017 meeting with all five members present: Frank Gomez, Robert Montoya, Fran Kelly, Frank Cordova and Toy Sepulveda, chairman. The earlier closed session reportedly began at 6:05, where they discussed student identifiable information and limited personnel issues but made no decisions. The open session began at 7:10 p.m.

The major topic of the evening was again the four-day school week coming this August in all the district's schools'elementary, middle and high. School staff and public were on hand to join the discussions where possible; well over a dozen were present to see the project through to its finish.

Michael Koury, San Lorenzo principal, and Frank Quarrell, high school principal, recapped the major features they had presented last meeting and advanced two new calendars now being considered for the 2017-2018 year starting in August. Another addition to the information was a recent survey taken of parents, students and staff, who overwhelmingly chose, by 83-to-99 percent, the four-day calendar over the two five-day versions. (Three surveys, four questions.)

Fully 14 pages of survey comments were faithfully gathered and reported to show each and every response from parents, Gǣverbatim,Gǥ as Koury and Quarrell put it. During comment time, one teacher noted that she tried to get input from each student, every class period, and some- times it didnG