school calendar changes are challenging
Over the past years, Hillsborough County has been adjusting the school calendar to better accommodate studies for FCAT testing. Those changes resulted in area students trudging back to school weeks before the rest of the country was even thinking about education. After public uproar, the state demanded that local school boards return the summer schedule to a somewhat normal calendar, and now classes can not begin earlier than two weeks prior to Labor Day.
Good. I thought it was crazy to see it change every year over the past few in a row. Of course, the local School District of Hillsborough County fought the change as much as they could, and settled for starting classes on August 20 - the earliest possible day.
Now, I look forward on my calendar to the holiday season and see the HCSD has attempted to make up for the summer correction by altering the winter break. It HAS ALWAYS been the week before December 25 and the week after. Kids would always return to school the first business day after New Year’s. This year, the first day off school is December 24, and they all return back to school on January 8.
Some divorced parents of children in the Hillsborough County School System have the winter break custody split spelled out, including the 2nd grader’s. That agreement says that in odd numbered years, Dad will have custody from the first day of winter break through Christmas Day, and Mom will have custody from Christmas to the return of school. The school schedule has had those same two weeks off for such a long time that Hillsborough County courts have used this schedule in custody resolutions since my parents divorced thirty years ago.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this new twist in the HCSD calendar will screw up custody orders all over the county. This year, Dad is to spend less than two days with his child for the winter break, while Mom will enjoy 13 days of family togetherness. Thankfully, the 2nd Grader’s parents get along, and have worked out a more equitable arrangement, but some divorced parents will take advantage of this to screw the other parent.
But why should we have to? Why do elected school officials keep messing with our schedule? So I asked. I contacted the HCSD to learn how and why they would want to make these radical changes. Here is the official response:
Subject: Citizens Report
I am responding to your email on behalf of Hillsborough County Public Schools and specifically the calendar committee that is charged with creating an instructional calendar.
Our calendar committee had a tough job to do with new restraints. The state now requires that we begin school no earlier then two weeks before Labor Day. That date was August 20, 2007. Last year we began on August 3rd. After a review of survey results and emails it was obvious that there is an overwhelming number of people that wish to have the first semester end before winter break. This was a request from our students as well. This allows the students to take their semester exams before the winter break. Many of these students then can apply to colleges since the grades for these exams are available. Some of our students are able to graduate in December. In addition, it allows students to enjoy their break without the stress of upcoming exams.
With that in mind we then examined the number of required days in a semester. The earliest we could end our first semester would be December 21st. With the semester ending on December 21 (first day of break is December 24) that meant we could have only three days off and still meet the required number of days.
The committee then began looking at days that would be high absentee dates for students and teachers. In addition, we reviewed the days off given to employees of the larger employers in our district.
It was agreed to take Thanksgiving and the Friday after Thanksgiving off. We understand that this is a family time and the committee wanted to honor that time.
With only one day left we had discussion of Labor Day and Veteran’s Day as well as some religious holidays that fall within the first semester. The committee decided on Labor Day as the true Veteran’s Day falls on a weekend for the 2007 year.
Please know that our schools provide many learning experiences for Veteran’s Day. As a past principal I can tell you that our school always had a program, we invited our local Veteran’s to join us so we could honor them. We asked our active military men and women to come and display their trucks and speak with our children about their jobs. In addition, we had the local Veteran’s Administration come and work with us each year on the proper disposal of our flag. At the end of the year our students participated in the Veteran’s Writing Project.
The elimination of Veteran’s Day was not done lightly nor was it not done without careful thought.
Please feel free to contact me with any further calendar concerns or recommendations. Thank you for your service to our country and your continued service to our children.
Debi Veranth
Director of Administration
Hillsborough County Schools
901 E. Kennedy Blvd. Room 264
Tampa, Florida 33602
Phone (813) 272-4076
Fax (813) 272-4073
School Mail Route #7
Whaaat??? “Thank you for your service to our country”? ??? This is a obviously a form letter sent to Veterans who have complained about the kids losing that day off.
But Debi did answer the question in the first paragraph. After whining that the “calendar committee had a tough job” with “new restraints” in reference to the State’s demand that summer break actually remain in the Summer part of the calendar.
After a review of survey results and emails it was obvious that there is an overwhelming number of people that wish to have the first semester end before winter break. This was a request from our students as well. This allows the students to take their semester exams before the winter break. Many of these students then can apply to colleges since the grades for these exams are available. Some of our students are able to graduate in December. In addition, it allows students to enjoy their break without the stress of upcoming exams.
What survey? How many emails? How “overwhelming?”
And who cares what the students want? Given the choice, many students would want shorter school days, longer summer vacation, and a free iPod, too. From age 5 to graduation, the most important task for our kids is to learn. And if that means cracking open a book on New Year’s Eve, so be it. If they can’t apply to HCC until February, so be it. And I don’t for one minute believe that students are unable to “enjoy the break without stress” because of exams.
And then I found this: This school year, the week-long spring break is in April. Because there is no extended period of no school between January and April, parents are asking for an extra weekend break during early Spring.
Spring break traditionally fell in March but had to be pushed back this year because of later state testing and a later start to the school year because of a change in Florida law.
[School district calendar committee Chairwoman Debra] Veranth said educators are not in favor of moving spring break before the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test because it disrupts preparations. Other factors committee members have to consider when drafting a calendar are the required 182 days of instruction, teacher contracts and finishing the first semester before winter break.
There we go again with blaming the state and preparing for the FCAT. And is it Debra or Debi?
How many people do we pay to sit behind desks to reschedule summer vacations, holidays and testing schedules? The FCAT is not the be-all and end-all of Florida education. Or at least it shouldn’t be. Why must it be so difficult?
If you ever want to make plans for more than a year in advance, wouldn’t you like to count on a consistent school calendar? For any parents who are affected by varying school calendars each year - regardless of your reasons - leave a comment here. And feel free to contact the School Board.
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