District plans to change school calendar

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT-MESA -- Three-month summer vacations for teachers and school

children may soon be a thing of the past.

School officials plan to rearrange the school calendar, making summer

vacations shorter with longer breaks during the school year.

The goal is to create a schedule where there are shorter breaks between

school sessions for students, especially for those learning the English

language, said Lorri McCune, assistant superintendent of human resources.

Educators contend that long vacations can contribute to learning loss.

Lengthening winter and spring breaks would allow the district a chance to

offer additional remedial courses for students struggling with English,

McCune said.

A proposed alternative schedule was presented to school principals, PTA

presidents and district employee unions this week for feedback. District

officials will consider suggestions when they finalize the new schedule.

“It is big news,” said Linda Mook, president of the Newport-Mesa Teachers

Federation. “I think teachers and parents are all digesting the options

that they have for the calendar. It’s a really exciting opportunity to

design a calendar around what we’re doing as a school district, instead

of having a calendar dictate how we act as a school.”

There are several basic components that officials are looking for in a

new calendar.

The alternative calendar would have students back in school by Aug. 21

and keep them in class until June 29. In return, students would have

three weeks off at Christmastime and a two-week vacation in the spring.

Also, numerous long weekends would be consolidated, so students can have

a week off in February and a week in November. Parents have complained

that it is difficult to find child care on holiday weekends.

“It just makes it really hard on parents,” said Jill Money, president of

the Harbor Council PTA. “Should they let their children run wild or take

off from work? To say nothing of the learning process. It’s my

understanding from teachers that it is hard to get geared up with these

four-day weeks.”

Principals and PTA presidents have been asked to distribute the schedule

to parents and teachers next week and to gather input for district

officials.

“It’s been very positive because they know we want them to look at the

options,” McCune said. “It’s a very personal issue because every person

has to look at the impact on their family.”

Each individual who examines the proposed schedule is bound to find pros

and cons, said Lockie Russell, PTA president at Andersen Elementary.

“I personally think some of it’s great, but there are parts I would

adjust,” she said. “I don’t think three weeks at Christmas is necessary.

I don’t think two weeks at Easter is necessary. I would put that back at

the end of summer so they start after Labor Day.”

School officials are open to suggestions and said they are aware that the

transition will be not be easy. To make things smoother, the changes will

be phased in during the first year.

And there will be at least one perk for parents, McCune said. School

calendars will be planned three years at a time, so parents and teachers

can plan ahead for vacations.

“I think change is going to be difficult, but it’s always challenging to

change something that has been ingrained as a tradition,” Mook said. “I

think the most resistance will be in starting school two weeks earlier.”

ADJUST YOUR CALENDAR

TRADITIONAL SCHEDULE:

School begins after Labor Day on Sept. 7

Two days off for Thanksgiving

Two-week winter recess, from Dec. 25 through Jan. 5

One-week spring break from April 16-20

School gets out June 19 and 20

ALTERNATIVE SCHEDULE:

School begins Aug. 23

One week off for Thanksgiving

Three-week winter recess, from Dec. 18 through Jan. 5.

One week off for presidents holidays, from Feb. 19-23

Two weeks off for spring break, from April 9-20

School gets out June 28 and 29