The first day for Staten Island students comes with quick reward

Fewer students are expected for opening of public schools since a four-day weekend follows

STATEN, ISLAND, N.Y. -- To the chagrin of school staffs across the borough, the city Department of Education is set on its plan for school to begin on Wednesday, Sept. 8.

The start of the year became a controversy when school let out in June because the first week will last just one day. Schools will be closed Thursday, Sept. 9, and Friday, Sept. 10, for the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.

The fear among teachers and school staff members is that attendance will be low on the first day, and teachers will have to reiterate instruction on Monday for those who missed it the initial time.

The first day of school is when you go over class rules and homework procedures," said Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers. "You talk about what the expectations are for the students. They're going to have to repeat that."

Instead, Mulgrew said he would rather Schools Chancellor Joel Klein change the first day of school to Sept. 13.

"The chancellor has the power," he said. "He can change it with a swipe of his pen."

In a letter addressed to principals on June 28, Klein said he and the mayor thought it made sense to adopt Sept. 13 for classes to begin, and for schools to use Sept. 8 as a staff development day. but that the UFT refused the proposal.

However, Mulgrew said permission isn't needed from the UFT.

"It's in your power to change this -- you don't need to talk to me," he said. "Just change the day and we can stop all of this silliness."

Initially, in June, Mulgrew had suggested letting individual schools determine when to start school, but Klein said that would be too hectic.

"We cannot have a chaotic system where different schools start classes on different days, which would require different bus schedules as well as different food schedules," he said in the letter. "It would be confusing to parents, a further strain on our budget, and disruptive to the overall school calendar."

Despite the arguments, however, a spokesman said the DOE does not plan to adjust the date for the start of school.

Here is a look at the Catholic school calendar and the public school calendar for the 2010-2011 school year.