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Calendar committee proposes later August start and two-week winter break; board weighs high-school semester balance
Summary
A two-year draft academic calendar would push the district start a week later to mitigate heat, include a two-week winter break and schedule predictable professional-development time; board members voiced concern that the first semester would be substantially shorter than the second, affecting semester-long high-school courses and concurrent-enrollment requirements.
Calendar committee members presented a two-year draft academic calendar for 2026–27 and 2027–28 shaped by a broad stakeholder survey that showed increased participation, including more student respondents. Committee leaders said community priorities included a two-week winter break, a five-day fall/Thanksgiving break, and predictable professional-development time achieved through weekly one-hour late starts.
The calendar delays the official first day of school one week to address heat concerns; transition days for kindergarten, sixth- and ninth-grade students are scheduled for Aug. 19 with the district-wide start on Aug. 20. Committee members noted Poudre School District planned a similar later start.
Board members welcomed the attention to staff planning needs and student comfort but raised concerns about a significant imbalance in instructional days between semesters. Shauna Culp (quoted in the presentation) warned that first-semester reductions would compress instruction for semester-long high-school courses and many career and technical and concurrent-enrollment classes, increasing the weight of each assignment. Board members asked staff to include a clear per-month and per-grade-level count of instructional days and to provide supplemental materials explaining the rationale and trade-offs when the calendar is released to the public.
The board did not take action; staff will incorporate requested clarifications and return the calendar for final approval on Dec. 17.
