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School Calendar Committee Survey Results and Next Steps
- The Committee received a total of 1,757 responses to the survey, 38 of those were in Spanish.
- The overall preference was for Option 2 (start date of August 26) but not overwhelmingly.
- Participants completing the survey in Spanish preferred Option 1 (start date of August 19).
- 486 staff members, a vast majority, participated in the survey and were evenly divided on their preference.
- 267 student responses were predominately in favor of Option 1.
- Parent responses (both of elementary and secondary students) indicated a preference for Option 2.
- Community members with no students in BCSD were the smallest group of respondents with 72 and preferred Option 1.
Read the draft memo for details of the committee's work and survey results here.
What are the next steps?
You can provide feedback to the Board of Trustees in two ways:
1) Email Board Clerk Amanda Lachance at amandalachance@blaineschools.org.
2) Come to the Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, December 11 at 6:00 p.m. to make public comment. Read about how to make a public comment here.
The School Calendar is on the agenda for a potential Board vote and action on Tuesday, December 11. The survey is one piece of information the Board will consider when making a decision about the school calendar. Read more about the Board's guiding principles for the school calendar below.
Background: The BCSD Board of Trustees appointed a Calendar Committee at its December 2017 meeting to develop proposed calendars for three years: 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22. The Board of Trustees provided the following guiding principles for the Committee’s work. 1) Maximize student learning by providing significant stretches of uninterrupted weeks for teaching and learning. 2) Maximize student attendance to support student learning. 3) Propose a calendar that provides support for the Board’s priority of closing the achievement gap. 4) Propose a calendar that supports student participation in a wide range of school-related activities including competitions, extracurricular programs, dual credit opportunities, etc. 5) Ensure that the calendar meets with Idaho Statues, including 33-1009 and 33-512. 6) Recognize the importance of professional development for staff. 7) The calendar will be done on a 3-year cycle.
Members of the Calendar Committee are Brad Thompson, Irene Healy, Lee Dabney, Brad Henson, John Pearce, Lisa Thilmont, Sara Gilman, Sheila Naghsh, Eric Anderson, Kiley Hoefer, Debbie Drewien, Greg Carlson, Lydia Flynn, Joyce Pratt, Kelly Green, and GwenCarol Holmes. The committee met seven times. During its meetings, it reviewed Idaho Statutes related to school calendars and attendance data to determine calendar patterns that resulted in good attendance or poor attendance. It also reviewed data collected on community preferences from the previous Calendar Committee and noted that community preferences were often at odds with each other and Statute such as desiring to start school after Labor Day, have extended breaks throughout the year, and then end before Memorial Day – not allowing for enough instructional time as required by Statute. The committee then developed two proposed calendars and surveyed staff, parents, students and community members on their preference.