JAY — School Committee members voted to add three student early release days to the school calendar to allow teachers to develop intervention and supports for students who struggle to meet behavior and learning benchmarks.

The early release days are scheduled on Wednesday, Dec. 9, Wednesday, Jan. 27, and Wednesday, March 10.
The additional days bring the early release day total to six for the school year, Superintendent Robert Wall told the School Committee Thursday.

Wall also announced the rescheduling of the H1N1 vaccination clinics to, tentatively, Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the elementary school, Thursday, Nov. 12, at the middle school, and Friday, Nov. 13, at the high school. A second dose of the vaccine for the elementary school is tentatively scheduled to be given Dec. 8, Wall said.

The clinics will all depend on the availability of the vaccine.

In other business, Wall told School Committee members that the state has issued a warning that Jay may not be getting $276,360 anticipated in state education subsidy.

State government is looking at ways to trim budgets due to another state revenue shortfall.

School officials are working on a conservative budget, Wall said, and watching spending.

In another matter, School Committee members agreed to reopen the bakery at the middle school and voted to hire Wendy Bourassa to fill the position of middle school food service worker/baker for the 2009-10 school year. She will be paid $12.15 an hour and work 16 hours a week.

The bakery was closed when the food service was thousands of dollars in debt. The program has since been out of debt for several years.

The move will allow hot breakfasts to be served once again at the elementary school, along with freshly made breads, rolls and baked goods.

It will allow fresher products to be served to students, Wall said.

“We’re going to have a better program, and we feel it’s going to be cost effective,” Wall said.

Having the bakery reopened will also provide an opportunity for students to learn how to bake, Wall said.

“Our goal is not to make money,” Wall said. “Our goal is to break even and put out the best meal we can and still stay within cost and nutritional guidelines.”

When the bakery was open, teacher Kellee Fortier said, her own children looked forward to the fresh baked rolls and bread.
She has packed more lunches since the bakery closed, Fortier said.

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