Nikki, a district staff member presenting the calendar, described the 2026–27 calendar proposal as a first read that would shift the district start to Sept. 2, 2026 — before Labor Day — after surveying staff about preferred start dates.

Why it matters: the change would break a long-standing community tradition of starting after Labor Day and could affect families, university-affiliated employees and staff who coordinate calendars with neighboring districts.

The presenter said staff surveyed employees and found about 75 percent support for starting earlier in September. Nikki said the proposal follows an analysis of future years through 2028 and aims to avoid ending the school year on or around Juneteenth if make-up snow days are needed. The proposal keeps the first day of school in early September for multiple consecutive years and would move from the district’s recent Sept. 3 start (for 2025) to Sept. 2 for 2026–27.

Board members discussed communication and coordination. Trustees asked staff to notify Oregon State University constituencies and to reach out to neighboring districts (Albany, Philomath and others) so families and staff who work across district lines can plan. Staff said they had already provided a preliminary calendar to the Education Service District and planned 18 months’ notice to the community.

Board members asked about equity and staff impacts, observing that some employees live in neighboring districts. Trustees discussed the tradition of starting after Labor Day and trade-offs between more instructional days earlier in September versus longer June schedules. No vote was taken — this was a first read — and the board asked staff to pursue broader communication and coordination with regional partners before a final adoption vote.

Ending: staff will continue outreach and return with a final calendar at a later meeting; the board emphasized advance notice to families and coordination with nearby districts.