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Broken Arrow board reviews calendar survey; committee to recommend options in February
Summary
A district survey of 7,981 responses showed strong support for a traditional calendar and interest in more second‑semester breaks; a committee will meet this week and deliver a recommendation to the board in February.
Miss Thompson, presenting district survey results to the Broken Arrow Public Schools Board of Education on Jan. 13, said the district received 7,981 responses in 10 languages and that “this was a survey. This was not a vote.”
The survey asked residents, staff and parents to rank calendar options for the 2025–26 school year. Miss Thompson said respondents favored keeping a traditional calendar overall and that, among the choices offered, Calendar C drew the most support. She told the board the data show a strong preference for more breaks in the second semester: about 70% of respondents supported additional second‑semester breaks.
The presentation highlighted differences by audience: employees were more likely than parents to value distance‑learning days as useful instruction, and staff slightly preferred Mondays off over Fridays off (about a 4 percentage‑point difference). Thompson emphasized those distinctions when she said the committee must use role‑specific data to draft workable calendar options.
Board members discussed the district’s goal of recruiting and retaining teachers and framed the calendar work as one piece of a broader strategy that also includes pay and other supports. Several board members urged caution about moving quickly to a four‑day school week and said the committee should consider hybrid alternatives and logistical impacts before recommending a change.
Thompson said the survey responses and comment summaries will be posted on the district website the next day, and she reminded the board that the calendar committee—made up of parents, teachers, administrators, students and community business leaders—will meet Wednesday at 5 p.m. That committee is scheduled to bring a recommendation to the board at its February meeting.
Why this matters: calendar structure affects teachers’ schedules, family routines and student instructional time and is one lever districts are exploring amid state‑wide teacher recruitment challenges. The board’s discussion made clear it has not decided on any specific calendar change and that the committee’s recommendation will guide any future action.
The board's next calendar step is the committee meeting this week; the board expects a recommendation at its February meeting.
