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Public commenter and trustees spar over Aug. 2 instructional start; board approves instructional calendar
Summary
A public commenter urged the district to reconsider an August 2 school start date because of heat, energy costs and impact on classified staff; trustees noted calendar alignment with bargaining agreements and approved the instructional calendar with no change at this meeting.
A public commenter told the board on March 19 that starting the school year on Aug. 2 would expose students to the hottest days, raise energy costs and hurt classified employees who may not have paid time to cover short gaps in the instructional calendar.
Julio Pardo, who identified himself as president of CSEA chapter 187, said rumors about staffing and reassignments have already increased anxiety among employees and urged the district to communicate changes only through official channels to avoid false hope and anger. On the calendar, Pardo urged the district to consider moving the start date later by about one to two weeks to save energy costs and to give staff and students a longer summer break.
Trustees responded that instructional-calendar dates have been negotiated in conversations with bargaining units and are often coordinated with neighboring districts; one trustee said administration would follow up to explore options such as trainings on otherwise non-student days. The superintendent said administration would follow up and that some departments have provided training on staff non-student days as a possible mitigation.
The board moved to approve the instructional calendar for the 2028–29 school year and recorded an affirmative vote. Trustees asked administration to continue conversations about supports for classified staff where gaps create unpaid days.
The board also approved the board meeting calendar for 2026–27 (with a revised March 2027 retreat date) and several routine items including the annual transportation service plan and job-description revisions, which the board treated as standard annual or first-reading items.
