SCHOOL DISTRICT APPROVES TWO CALENDARS FOR 2015-2016

The school board last week approved two calendars for next school year — one  that complies with the state law that says classes cannot begin earlier than two weeks before Labor Day and has classes begin on August 24, and another provisional calendar that has classes begin on August 17. The provisional calendar can only be enacted if the law is amended to allow for a school district to set its own start date.

If classes begin on August 24, the first semester will not end until after the winter break, on January 15. Parents, educators and school board members have expressed concern that extending the semester into January means that high school students will be required to take final exams after the winter break. School board members have encouraged parents to contact state representatives and the governor to express support for a change to the state law.

The approved 2015-2016 calendar:

• School begins on Monday, August 24.
• An 86-day first semester ends January 15 (after winter break).
• A 94-day second semester ends June 9.

The provisional 2015-2016 calendar:

• School begins on Monday, August 17.
• An  81-day first semester ends Dec 18 (before winter break).
• A 99-day second semester ends June 2.

On both calendars:

• Teachers return four days before students to avoid a pay gap for teachers.
• Alternating teacher work days/in-service days at the end of each grading period
• Traditional three-day Thanksgiving break (November 25-27), two-week winter break (December 21-January 1) and a five-day spring break (March 21-25)
• Traditional holidays on Labor Day (September 7), Dr. Martin Luther King’s Birthday (January 18), Memorial Day (May 30), two fall holidays (September 14 and 23) and Veteran’s Day (November 11).

The following require further review and are not yet listed on either calendar:

• High school late start days (Learning Team Meetings or LTMs) and elementary and middle Schools early release days (Professional Development Days or PDDs)
• Emergency Make-Up Days (EMDs)
• Dates for the administration of state assessments and other mandatory testing

For more information please contact the School District Office of Labor Relations at 561-357-7696.