Roseville school board hears first reading of 2025–26 and 2026–27 calendar drafts, committee emphasizes holiday rubric and changes for Harambee

At a Feb. 10 meeting, the Roseville Area School Board received a first reading of draft school‑year calendars for 2025–26 and 2026–27 and heard why the calendar committee recommended a new rubric to guide holiday and non‑school day decisions.

Associate Superintendent Melissa Sonic described the committee’s work as grounded in equity and enrollment realities, saying the committee “believes it should support learning and really reflect our vision of excellence, innovation, and equity in all we do.” The district posted the draft calendars on isd623.org and noted the 2026–27 drafts remain labeled as drafts until next‑year approval.

The calendar committee recommended no additional non‑school days be added this cycle but created a holiday rubric with cultural liaisons to identify holidays the district should consider when scheduling. For Harambee, the district proposed two changes: reduce back‑to‑back three‑day weeks that preceded an intersession and shift the last student day to Friday with the following Monday designated as a teacher workshop day. Staff said teachers at Harambee reported the clustered short weeks were “somewhat difficult” and that more full weeks would better support instruction.

Board members applauded the committee’s outreach and attention to equity. One member noted the district tried to avoid scheduling graduations or other events on major holy days used by large student groups. Staff said the committee examined health‑office attendance data and other metrics but did not find district‑wide evidence that would require wholesale calendar shifts.

Next steps: this was a first reading; staff said they will bring back redline language and a final recommendation for board action at a subsequent meeting. The drafts remain available online for community review.