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Washington Unified board approves 2027–28 instructional calendar after parent concerns over schedule
Summary
The board voted to adopt the 2027–28 instructional calendar designed to meet semester minimums and add a full week off in February; parents urged better coordination with after-school providers and questioned Tuesday parent-teacher days and geographic enrollment data for new programs.
The Washington Unified School District board voted to approve the district’s 2027–28 instructional calendar after a presentation from calendar committee lead Shay Borges outlining state instructional-day requirements, collective bargaining agreement constraints, and the committee’s work.
"We are focusing our calendar around pillar A, which is all about equity for teaching and learning," Shay Borges said while explaining a recommendation to start the school year earlier in August to ensure both semesters meet minimum instructional-day requirements. Borges said the committee recommends a February week off (rather than multiple three-day weekends) to improve continuity before state testing.
During public comment, Samantha Freeman urged trustees to seek compromise to avoid a strike and described how a strike would affect working parents: "My children shouldn't be sitting here thinking, oh my god. There's gonna be no school," Freeman said, asking trustees to consider parents who cannot take multiple days off work.
Trustees asked for more detailed enrollment geography for new programs (including the Elkhorn dual-immersion cohort) and clarification about which subjects are taught in English versus Spanish as students progress through the dual-immersion model. Borges and staff said they would provide additional data, including neighborhood vs. out-of-area counts, and explained that by middle school content is often divided by subject to support testing and content mastery.
The board approved the calendar on a motion moved by Trustee Wong and seconded by Clerk Hunt; the vote was recorded in favor. Trustees discussed offering more outreach and clearer public-facing explanations of contractual constraints that shape the calendar, and staff said they will continue coordinating with after-school program providers to reduce family impacts on non-instruction days.
The calendar takes effect for the 2027–28 school year; staff agreed to return with additional outreach and requested data on where incoming kindergarten families reside.
