Las Virgenes school district conducting survey on proposed changes to school calendar Accelerated Learning Resources

Las Virgenes school district conducting survey on proposed changes to school calendar

Las Virgenes school officials want to know what parents, teachers, staff members and high school students think about changing the school calendar. So they’re asking them when school should start and when spring break should be.

“These are issues that may energize people, especially the start of school,” said Dan Stepenosky, assistant superintendent of personnel for the Las Virgenes Unified School District.

The district is considering starting school earlier — about mid-August, beginning in 2012 — so high school students can finish their first semester and take finals before winter break. School now starts toward the end of August.

The earlier start also would give students taking advanced placement classes more instruction time before exams.

Las Virgenes also is considering scheduling spring break at the end of the third grading quarter, generally at the end of March, instead of tying it to Easter. That way, spring break would come at about the same time each year, instead of moving with Easter.

These are issues that may energize people, especially the start of school.
Dan Stepenosky

Participants have until Monday to complete the survey. So far, the district has received about 2,000 responses, which are pretty evenly divided among the options, Stepenosky said.

Teacher Marilyn Fine understands the advantages of changing the calendar but also sees problems. Attendance may drop, she said, because people can be wedded to their vacation times. There also is the weather in August.

“We’d be dealing with the chance of extreme heat,” said Fine, who teaches art at Lindero Canyon Middle School. “Energy costs will be higher. And it will be difficult to have recess, lunch, even P.E., outdoors.”

The Las Virgenes school board has not set a date for its decision.

The Simi Valley Unified School District also is considering changing the start of school and the timing of spring break. The school board discussed the issue at a meeting in January but has not voted on it. At this point, the district probably will postpone any changes to the 2013-14 school year, said Don Gaudioso, assistant superintendent, personnel services.

“We said we’d give people at least a year’s notice,” Gaudioso said.

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