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Urbana SD 116 board unveils draft 2025–26 calendar, debates fall break and conference timing
Summary
Superintendent presented a first draft of the 2025–26 school calendar emphasizing required 176 student‑attendance days, front‑loaded institute days, and a visual calendar format; board and parents discussed fall break alignment with Champaign Unit 4, conference timing, and possible park‑district partnerships for fall break activities.
Urbana School District 116 Superintendent presented the board with the calendar committee’s first draft for the 2025–26 school year, outlining statutory constraints and several scheduling changes the committee recommends.
The draft, developed by a committee of parents, teachers, building administrators and central‑office staff, keeps the state‑required 176 student‑attendance days and moves three institute days to the start of the year (Aug. 13–15) with the first student attendance day on Aug. 18. The superintendent said the district is keeping student‑led family conferences as a Thursday evening plus Friday morning model so the two sessions count as one attendance day.
Why it matters: the committee emphasized alignment with neighboring districts — particularly Champaign Unit 4 — to reduce scheduling conflicts that leave teachers without subs and families without childcare. The superintendent told the board that historically two‑thirds of staff lived in Champaign; recent data now show about half of staff live there, reinforcing the need to coordinate calendars where possible.
Board members and parents pushed for clarity on several points. Jennifer asked how attendance is recorded for student‑led conferences; the superintendent replied that teachers submit attendance sheets and the school secretary aggregates the counts so students who do not attend with a parent are not marked absent. One parent urged earlier notice about which half of kindergarten students attend on each staggered day so families can plan.
The committee also recommended a more visual, color calendar so parents and staff can quickly see which days apply to early‑childhood programs, graduation, or staff development. The superintendent said the district will upload a color version to the website and provide a grayscale print‑friendly magnet for families without color printers. Graduation was listed on the draft as May 26, 2026.
On fall break and religious holidays: the committee intends to include fall break in 2025–26 but noted the district must weigh trade‑offs if it also wants to add observance for particular religious holidays; adding days would either require removing other days or extending the school year. Board members referenced a letter from the Jewish Federation requesting recognition of high holidays, and the superintendent said the committee discussed options but did not identify an obvious day to remove to preserve the required attendance count.
Next steps: the draft will be posted on the district website for public feedback and the calendar committee will reconvene in January. The superintendent said the committee hopes, if feedback is limited, to move toward a two‑year calendar consistent with past practice but reserved the right to adjust if neighboring districts change their plans.
