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Board reviews draft 2026–27 school calendar after wide community survey
Summary
The board received a calendar-committee presentation showing more than 1,300 survey responses and significant support for keeping Thanksgiving week as a break and for moving Wednesday professional-learning days to Mondays or Fridays; board members asked for refined data and adjustments before placing the calendar on a future consent agenda.
Dr. Stewart, representing the calendar committee, presented the draft 2026–27 traditional calendar and summarized community engagement that informed the proposal.
The committee reported more than 1,300 survey responses, with roughly 76% from parents, and said the survey produced more than 1,000 written comments. The committee recommended keeping the week of Thanksgiving as a full break (67% of respondents agreed) and moving professional-learning (PL) days away from Wednesdays, shifting those staff-development days to Mondays and Fridays to reduce midweek disruptions for families.
Board members raised implementation questions: smoothing uneven quarter lengths (for example, one quarter with about 45 instructional days versus others with 41–44 days), examining whether elementary parents endorse the proposed 0.5-day student-release options, and confirming consultation with minority religious leaders to ensure observances such as Rosh Hashanah and Eid are noted correctly. Dr. Stewart said the committee would pull additional data on elementary-parent responses, double-check religious-observance notations and return an updated draft, with a likely placement for approval in late March or early April on the consent agenda.
Several board members emphasized the tradeoffs facing calendar design: state law constrains start and end windows, testing schedules require blocks of prep time, and districts must balance instructional continuity against family scheduling needs.
Next steps: committee staff will gather the requested data, revise the draft calendar and present it for board approval on a future consent agenda (target late March/early April).
