Calendar slashes school's early release days

After this school year with 20 early release days, next year's school calendar will return to the typical 10 shortened days for students.

The extra early release days this year where supposed to give teachers additional workday time for paperwork, planning, collaboration and training, but some educators believed too much of the time was being used in meetings called by principals.

Also, many parents believed their students' learning was being shortchanged on the abbreviated school days, which also presented a challenge for child care.

Parent and Lake Placid Elementary paraprofessional Donna Dinapoli said from a parent's perspective, "I thought 20 early release days was way too excessive."

Kids need a rhythm, something consistent and those constant interruptions with those short days were too distracting, she said. The parents have to make arrangements for day care and picking them up early. It's a burden.

The 2010-11 school calendar, which the school board approved recently, features 10 early release days, with eight falling on a Wednesday, one on Thursday and one on a Friday (Dec. 17 the last day before the winter break).

At its Jan. 19 workshop, the school board reviewed a proposed calendar with only seven early release days.

Deputy Superintendant Rodney Hollinger develops the proposed calendars for the school board's consideration.

It went from backing off to almost no early release days and then adding a few back at the recommendation of the elementary school principals who wanted some time for teacher training, Hollinger said.

So the final calendar, which was approved by the board, was a compromise between the elementary and secondary schools, he said.

The 2010-11 calendar has three days off for students (within the school year) that are designated as either a "teacher workday" or a half day "teacher workday" with the other half of the day for professional development (training).

The 2009-10 calendar had two such days off within the school year.

Highlights of the 2010-11 calendar follow:

• Teachers' first day of work - Aug. 12.

• First day of school for students - Aug. 23.

• Thanksgiving break - no school Nov. 22 through Nov. 26.

• Winter break - Dec. 20 through Jan. 4, with a teacher work day on Jan. 3.

• The other two days off for students that are teacher workdays within the school year will be Oct. 29 and Feb. 11.

• Spring break - March 28 through April 1.

• Last day of school for students, which is an early release day - June 8.

• Last day for teachers - June 9.

The district will be working soon on a 2011-12 calendar.

A proposed calendar will be presented to the school board soon to have at least something tentative in place for a chance to coordinate spring break and a few other dates with South Florida Community College, Hollinger said.