Foreign language instruction at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School has been hit hard by staff changes, the high school district committee learned on Monday night.

There are more than a dozen personnel changes at the high school this year, more than any other school on the Island. At the start of the school year there were 17 personnel changes between staff resigning, retiring or being reassigned to another department.

Most affected was the high school’s world language department, which includes courses in French, Spanish and German. The department lost four of its seven teachers, and only two have been replaced. Giovanni Cappai replaces Spanish teacher Blanca De Marco and French teacher Teresa Dunn replaces Ben Sprayregen.

At their monthly meeting on Monday, the high school district committee accepted the retirement of longtime Spanish teacher Jim Powell, effective Sept. 14. German teacher Jennifer Weno will resign on Sept. 29. Their positions have not been filled.

High school principal Steve Nixon credited the language department chairman for her work in juggling the staff changes and rebuilding the department before school opened. “Justine DeOliviera did a yeoman’s job this summer,” Mr. Nixon said.

And Mr. Nixon gave high marks to the first week of school. There are 179 new freshman, more than projected, he said. Otherwise enrollment remains largely unchanged.

Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss also had warms words of praise for the opening of school, calling it “dynamic and fantastic.”

“The kids are happy to be here, the buses are running on time, the parking lot is full and we’re running on time thanks to a lot of hard work,” Mr. Weiss said. “It’s really been a fantastic opening.”

Looking ahead, he said the schools are in the second year of a three-year contract with the five bargaining units, but due to rising health care costs negotiations may need to be reopened.

Increasing “time on task” during the school day is also something Mr. Weiss said he wants to examine this year, posing the possibility of lengthening the school day or year in order to use “the time we have in a better fashion.”

“The pressure on students and faculty this year is not less but more,” he said of performing well in school and college. “We have to look at that.”

“We also ought to work at ways to cooperate more than we have in the past,” he continued. “I’m not using the R word [regionalization], if there are ways to work together that would be to everyone’s benefit.”

Mr. Weiss pointed to transportation as an example of successful cooperation — the Edgartown School is now a part of the high school’s transportation system.

School business administrator Amy Tierney reviewed a series of bids that went out over the summer, including the West Tisbury School building project, selling surplus vehicles and finishing the food service contract with Chartwells, the only company that bid on the contract.

The next large bid to go out will be the superintendent’s feasibility study to build a new facility at the high school campus for administrative offices. Each town approved $1,237 for the study at their annual town meetings this year.

In other business the school committee approved three additional in-service days for teachers and staff to use as time to prepare for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) three-year accreditation process. Preparations began last year but will increase over the next three semesters. Members of NEASC will evaluate the school from April 28 through May 1, 2013. Pre-evaluations will be conducted throughout the year.

The high school committee also reviewed drafts of new policies concerning head lice, do not resuscitate, Title 1 and attendance.

About the attendance policy, Mr. Weiss said: “It sets a very clear message — school is important, you have to come.”