The final decision on the 2026-27 school calendar was taken off the agenda for Monday night’s Harford County Board of Education meeting due to the absence of board members and the unlikelihood they would agree on a final product, Board President Aaron Poynton said Tuesday.

The proposed calendar, which had been unveiled in September and opened for 60 days of public comment, was expected to be up for a final vote Monday. Instead, it was removed from the agenda earlier in the day, with all board members notified by email, Poynton said.

“Based on feedback from board members, it was clear we were unlikely to have the five votes needed to pass any version of the calendar due to anticipated absences, including my own,” he said.

Poynton said there still needed to be discussion among board members to address concerns that include the school year’s start date and several half-days for students.

“I just didn’t want to bring it to the floor and rush it if there were still unresolved issues,” he said.

School board Vice President Lauren Paige said at the meeting that the board intends to revisit the calendar decision at its January meeting. The school system’s calendar policy states that the board must approve the calendar no later than eight months before the first day of the next academic year.

Although the 60-day window to submit public comments on the calendar has closed, Poynton said community members are still encouraged to submit feedback until the final vote.

Public comment at the meeting Monday centered on whether the school year should start before or after Labor Day. About six speakers, including four high school students, asked the board to consider beginning before the holiday.

Students enrolled in International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement courses said an earlier start would ease academic pressure and improve preparation for spring exams.

“As deadlines approach that helps keep expectations manageable for both students and teachers,” said Viraj Singh, a high school student taking both IB and AP courses. “When the calendar starts earlier, there is more room to adjust without cutting into instruction or compressing already demanding coursework.”

Harford County Public Schools has weighed a pre-Labor Day start for several recent academic years, though the two most recent began after the holiday. Classes began before Labor Day in 2023-24.

The proposed calendar had students going back to school on the first Tuesday of September. The last day would be June 17, if the district used all its embedded inclement weather days. If no snow days are used, the last day would be June 14.

The calendar also featured the addition of six teacher planning days, a first for the district after educators expressed the need for more time to themselves that aren’t professional development days.

Early dismissals before holidays, like Thanksgiving and winter break, were also implemented into the proposed calendar, in addition to early dismissals for students around the end of each quarter.

The next board meeting is scheduled for Jan. 12 at 6 p.m. at the A.A. Roberty Building in Bel Air.

Have a news tip? Contact Shaela Foster at sfoster@baltsun.com or 443-826-5894.