The School District would like your opinion regarding calendar options for the 2020-2021 school calendar.  The calendar for the 2019-2020 school year will be a traditional calendar.  The feedback we receive from parents, staff and community members will be considered when making a recommendation for the 2020-2021 calendar.  By making the decision early, families and staff members would have ample opportunity to plan for vacations and other activities. 

You may not be aware, but the District Leadership Team meets 4 times a year with our Parent Advisory Group.  This group is comprised of SIC chairs, PTO Presidents, and other parents and community members.  At our meetings last year, it was requested that we revisit the modified calendar option that was proposed several years ago.  Please note, this is not a district driven proposal, it was initiated by the Parent Advisory Group.

 Included in this information is a description of the modified calendar along with benefits and areas of concerns regarding that calendar.  There are also draft copies of potential traditional and modified calendars for 2020-2021.

Benefits and Areas of Concerns

What is a modified calendar?

• Maintain the required 180 instructional days and the 10 PD/workdays
• Shorten the summer break from 11 weeks to 7 weeks
• Allows 2 week intersessions at the end of each nine week grading period. These would be used for enrichment and remediation as well as vacation.

Benefits of a modified calendar:

• Better instructional calendar for our students. Allows for remediation and credit recovery after each nine weeks during the intersessions rather than waiting until summer school. Also allows for enrichment opportunities for students.
• Reduces “summer slide”.
• Helps minimize student and teacher fatigue with more frequent breaks in the calendar.
• Allows families to travel during non-peak times.
• Allows make up days at the end of each nine weeks.
• Traditional holidays would remain the same.
• Could complete first semester before Christmas break.
• Allows for maximum instructional days before testing in May.
• HS students could take college visits during intersessions.

Areas of concern with a modified calendar:

• Effect on extra-curricular activities – practice and conditioning already occurs during summer, Christmas break, spring break and on some holidays. High School League also limits out of season practice.
• Flexibility to schedule around breaks or to strategically schedule bye weeks.
• Daycare schedule