Parents, Teachers Prefer A Later Start

From HoCo schools:

The majority of parents and HCPSS staff who responded to a brief survey concerning next year’s school calendar prefer to have students return on Monday, August 30, 2010. The HCPSS Academic Calendar Committee looked at two options for start dates for next year based on how late Labor Day will fall. But the earlier option of Monday, August 23 was less popular with respondents.

Over 57 percent of the 2289 HCPSS staff members who responded to the question preferred the August 30 start date. Sixty percent of the 2210 parents who responded preferred August 30.

HCPSS Director of Public Relations Patti Caplan, who chairs the Calendar Committee, says the survey results weighed heavily in the committee’s decision to recommend the later date. The survey not only helped the committee gather input but also informed parents and staff that schools will be closed for a primary and a general election next year, which will extend the school year a bit further into June.

“We wanted everyone to know that starting that late in August, coupled with the additional days off for elections, would result in the school year ending on June 16,” Caplan explains. That’s without inclement weather make-up days, she adds.

The proposed 2010-2011 academic calendar will be presented to the Board of Education on Thursday, November 5, and will then be available for review on the school system’s website. The Board will hold a public hearing on the proposed calendar on Thursday, December 10 and take action on January 14.