School Calendar Woes

The school district I work in is in the process of making next year’s school calendar. Public school calendars are made by each school system, not the state or federal government. Each state and the District of Columbia set the required amount of days/hours students need to complete each year. This past year, our state legislature passed a law that requires public schools in the state to begin after Labor Day and end by June 15th. Most states in the US require 180 days of school for students or somewhere in between 170-180. Although private schools are not governed by state regulations, the amount of school days for students is roughly the same as the public school system.

The concerns facing the makers of the calendar are scheduling which holidays to close for, inclement weather days, and teacher professional days. As a parent, which holidays are important for your child to have off? Do you think schools are closed to many days in the year for teacher professional days? Should your child start school before Labor Day?

I am a teacher in the public school system and a parent of a student in the private school system. As a teacher, I feel that holidays are important because we all need a bit of a break and time to spend with families. I can also see where the breaks interrupt student learning and can be problematic. Starting after Labor Day, I feel, has been a blessing. I always felt that the summer was over so soon and I didn’t know what to do with my child since her school starts after Labor Day.

If you could help make the school calendar for your district, what would be the most important thing to consider? Do you feel 180 days is too much or not enough? Do you feel there are too many unnecessary days off for your child? Which days off should not be taken away? Then there is

always the concept of year round school…