What is a traditional school calendar?

In our opinion, a traditional school calendar begins after Labor Day.

Mistakenly, proponents of year-round school calendars usually refer to the traditional calendar as the agrarian calendar. Research by Dr. Kenneth Gold, City University of New York, showed that the calendar most commonly used during agrarian times was the year-round school calendar of today and that the traditional calendar was ushered in with urbanization.

Research clearly shows that the school calendar configuration does not impact academic performance, i.e.. test scores or graduation rates.  But, research also shows that non-traditional school calendars cost more money to operate.  Shouldn't we be supporting a school calendar that puts as much of our tax dollars into academic programming as possible? 

For example, let's say a district saved $200,000 on energy costs by starting post-Labor Day.  If that district paid retired teachers $25 per hour as independent contractors to offer small group tutoring, with four students in each group, we would have saved enough money to provide 32,000 small group tutoring spots.  That's a lot of extra help for struggling students.

Or, we could fund the salaries of four truancy officers to help get kids back in school.

Research in other states has shown us that the calendar configuration does not impact academic success, but can increase non-instructional costs. This means less of our taxpayer dollars goes into classroom instruction and teacher salaries. We care about keeping our kids out of school in the summer because summer not only is the hottest time to cool our schools, but we understand it is much easier for families to find quality child care during summer months.
It is also beneficial for teachers to have a full summer vacation. Allowing them time to pursue advanced degrees, without taking time away from their classrooms and shorting their time with their families during the school year, achieve national teaching certification, work a summer job to supplement their income (often allowing teachers to remain in the field), or simply enjoy some much needed time off is beneficial for teachers and students alike.

Regardless of the school calendar, our children receive the same number of instructional days – as mandated by our legislature. The only difference is many schools have created a bloated school calendar by adding many one and two day holidays into the school year. This adds more days from the first day of school to the last, but doesn’t add one moment of instructional time to the mix

If we began the school year later, wouldn’t we simply be shifting the August school days for school days in June?

If the days were simply swapped, yes. But….if we reduced the number of one and two-day holidays and compacted the school year we could start later and around the same time.

Would a more compact school year decrease teacher pay?

No.Teachers would still be teaching the same number of days. The only difference would be how the holidays were scheduled into the calendar year.

How would it be more cost effective to operate under a traditional school calendar?

According to the National Climatic Data Center charts on cooling degree days, July and August are the hottest months in California.  If we removed the need to cool the schools, with students in the classrooms, during this time our non-instructional costs would be reduced. Numbers from the Data Center also show it is much more cost effective to run schools in May and June -- as it is not so hot. 

For example, Tulsa Public Schools (Oklahoma) pushed back its school start date from August 19 to post-Labor Day and experienced a savings of approximately $500,000 – as reported in the November 17, 2002 Tulsa World article, "Late opening of schools saved money".

A recent report by the Texas Comptroller says, "As I stated in my original report, Saving Summer: Lessons Learned, the academic benefits of stretching the school year have not been proved; what we do know – it’s costing Texans $790 million annually,"

With limited dollars to spend on academic programming and teacher salaries, we feel it is important to save money where we can without compromising the quality of our education system.

I’m just one parent, what can I do to make a change to my schools’ calendar?

Sign our on-line petition and let your elected officials know your thoughts on the school calendar.

Enlist the help of other parents by starting a petition drive or simply talking to your neighbors and friends.

Don’t sit back and expect someone else to fight for what is right for your child. Most importantly, become involved. Volunteering at your child’s school not only emphasizes the importance of education, but allows you to better understand the needs of the school. Remember, everyone has the best interest of the child at heart…we just sometimes disagree about the best calendar approach.

Wouldn't a later school start date mean no Spring Break and a shorter Winter Break?

No!  The only thing that would be mandated by the state would be the start date.  All other holidays, vacation days and teacher work days would be scheduled by the local school board.

News reports say a later school start date will help the economy, but will a later school start date hurt our children academically?

The top academic states in the nation begin the school year in late-August or early-September.  Student instructional days will remain the same.  Helping the local economy means more money in our state coffers, meaning more money for the legislature to use to fund public education.  Meaning more money for academic programming to better meet the needs of our students!.

Back To Top