We asked, and you shared your feedback- thank you! Last month we asked for your thoughts on our proposed 2023-24 school year calendar. The Calendar Committee would like to thank stakeholders for their input. The committee implemented minor modifications as a result of the feedback. View the proposed school year calendar here.
A Public Hearing and final approval will be considered by the Board of Directors during the January 9, 2023 Board Meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions for 2023-2024 Calendar
Can you build in more hours throughout the school year so we don’t have so many snow makeup days?
We need to provide a minimum of 1,080 instructional hours and we need to have 191 days of Teacher contract days.
Why is Spring Break so early?
Spring Break is March 11 – 15. It aligns with the Kirkwood calendar since many of our students take Kirkwood classes.
The semester conference dates are wrong
They have been adjusted so each window is 5 days long.
Can Elementary and Secondary switch start times?
We are going to continue to look at this potential change next year regarding rationale, benefits, etc. The committee didn’t want to move forward with a change that impacts everyone without more conversations and data.
Why did we stay with Friday early outs vs. going to full day professional learning days?
We looked into data of staff attendance on Friday early outs vs. the full day professional learning days. Attendance is comparable for full day releases and early outs. In addition, building principals need regular scheduled time to communicate with staff as well as the district needing additional time to provide staff training on a regular basis.
Can we start school earlier so we get out earlier?
We cannot do this. Per Iowa code 279.10, we can’t start any earlier than August 23rd.
Can we change the last day of school so we aren’t ending on a Monday?
When we make the calendar, we have to take into account student contact hours and contract days for staff. We can always make adjustments to include more days off during the school year, but then we would need to push the last day of school to later. It is not possible to end any earlier due to the contact hours and contract days. In addition, we usually have weather days to make up which will add days to the end of the year as well.
Can there be a calendar for families/students, one for staff, and one if you fall into both categories?
Each workgroup has their own calendars which can be found on the Staff Resource Hub under Human Resources Services, then Workgroup Calendars. In addition, this calendar is for families and students.
The Holiday (No School – All District Offices Closed) category has been useful in the past, can there be a separate calendar that includes that information?
All workgroups have their own calendar that specifically says when they are expected to report to work and when it is a holiday. They can be found on the Staff Resource Hub under Human Resources Services, then Workgroup Calendars.
Can we have snow make up days throughout the year vs. tacked on at the end of the school year?
This is challenging because if we mark days as potential weather make-up days during the year, we haven’t always used them in the past because people want notification in advance for when days will be made up and this is difficult since weather cannot be controlled.
Is there no additional time built into this calendar for school cancellations?
There is 25 hours of time built in for early outs and late starts for weather delays. If we do not use or do not need this time, we can always make adjustments. At this time, full days of instruction missed due to inclement weather will be added on to the end of the year.
Why do we have conferences on Halloween?
The conference window has been adjusted and a comment has been added so there will not be conferences held on Halloween.
What are Teacher comp days?
They are days off for Teachers for working conferences.
Can we eliminate some Friday early outs to get more instructional time built back into the calendar?
As a district, we are dedicated to providing our staff with the appropriate training to best serve and meet the needs of our students.
Can the 1st semester/finals end before winter break?
Because we need to keep both semesters similar in length, due to required coursework, we cannot end 1st semester before winter break.
Can we move towards having year round school?
We can add this to our continued conversations for potential changes for the future.
Can we have 1 week for Thanksgiving break and 2 weeks for Winter break?
We could make this adjustment but we would have to add all those additional days into June.