School Board Considers Move to a Balanced Calendar
The Manchester School Board will begin investigating a possible move to a balanced calendar for the 2016- 2017 school year at their meeting tonight at 6pm. This regularly scheduled school board meeting is open to the public, but community forums on the move to a balanced calendar will also be held in February and March. Multiple meetings will be held at a variety of times in an effort to accommodate parents and community members.
Although often confused with year-round schooling, a balanced calendar is not the same thing. A balanced calendar would not change the number of days students or teachers attend school but instead shift some of the vacation days away from summer break and into fall, winter and spring breaks. Two examples of balanced calendars are the 45/15 balanced calendar and the 45/10 balanced calendar.
Currently the Manchester Community Schools district has no fall break, a 12-day winter break, a 5-day spring break and 11-week summer break. Under the 45/15 balanced calendar the district would switch to a 15-day fall break, 15-day winter break, 15-day spring break and a 5 week summer break. The 45/10 balanced calendar splits the difference between the two schedules and would include a 10-day fall break, 15-day winter break, 10-day spring break and a 7- to 8-week summer break. In either case, the number of school days does not change.
Current calendar compared to two different potential balanced calendars. Image courtesy of Manchester Schools.
A long summer break, under the district’s current calendar, is believed to cause a “summer slide”–a loss of knowledge or skills between school years that requires weeks, if not months, for students to regain in the fall. While research shows shorter summer breaks decrease slide and increases academic achievement, potential benefits of the longer breaks the rest of the year include reduced stress, burnout, absenteeism and disciplinary referrals. Additionally, shutting down the buildings for longer breaks in the winter can save on heat and plowing expenses, could result in fewer snow days and fewer days of unsafe winter driving. Intermittent breaks would provide an opportunity to catch pupils up during extended breaks throughout the year, rather than waiting until the student is a year behind and catching them up in summer school. It also would give students and staff an opportunity to take family vacations and travel in all four seasons, instead of just during summer.
There are challenges to switching the school calendar. Working parents may have to change childcare arrangements. Both high school students and staff often work summer jobs and the new schedule would shorten the number of weeks available to work. Another concern is sports and other extracurricular activities that involve interacting with other school districts (although some sports already run outside of the academic calendar). Other considerations include summer camps, students who transfer in mid-year, staff with children who attend other school districts, families with children in multiple school districts and human resources considerations.
Let’s face it, a change like this can be as scary for staff as it is for the parents. However, Superintendent Cherie Vannatter stated, “The administration would not begin this investigation without the belief that the potential benefits had the ability to outweigh the challenges.”
The idea was introduced to the staff at a meeting a week and a half ago. Vanatter said, “The staff was receptive to listening to the concept, acknowledging the positives and the challenges. The staff (also) asked many good questions that we do not have the answers to at this time.”
Other area school districts have considered the idea in the past or are actively pursuing it. Ann Arbor had been considering the idea in 2010 when it was proposed as part of a collaboration with the University of Michigan, but decided not to pursue it because of the extent of work for the school board. In addition, the district believed that they had already made gains through other parts of the collaboration. Holmes Elementary in Ypsilanti has switched to a balanced calendar this year as a pilot for the Ypsi school district.
Jackson County is in the process of evaluating a county-wide switch to a balanced calendar. Hunt Elementary in Jackson is in its fourth year of a balanced calendar. Jackson Public School superintendent Jeff Beal states that he is a big proponent of balanced calendars and that Hunt Elementary has seen all of the improvements mentioned above. Each Jackson district will be voting at its June board meeting to decide whether to go ahead as a county with the move. If Jackson districts do decide to move to a balanced calendar, they will also start with the 2016-2017 school year.
In addition to the forums, an on-line survey will be conducted in the next few months. In spring, the board will make a decision whether or to not move to a balanced calendar, however, the actual calendar would then be negotiated with the teaching staff as it is every year.
Vannatter wants to emphasize that NO decisions have been made at this time. She said, “We are currently exploring the idea and ultimately, the school board will make the decision based on research and community response.”
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