Proposed 2012-2013 D99 School Year Calendar Revealed

If the proposed 2012-2013 school calendar stays as is, students will start their winter break on December 24 next year, quite possibly the latest the break has ever started.

A later start to winter break is one of a few changes being proposed in next year's calendar. Among other changes would be slightly later start to the year, a full week of school the first week and graduation in May.

The calendar, first introduced and discussed at Monday night's D99 meeting, has met little resistance from those who have seen it so far—which includes some of D99's feeder schools—according to Superintendent Mark McDonald. Of course, as McDonald admitted, the sample size of those who have seen it was small prior to Monday's meeting.

One area of possible concern shared Monday night by board vice-president Debbie Boyle concerned the late start of winter break. With the last day of school being Friday, December 21 and winter break officially starting on Monday, December 24, Boyle wondered if there was an increased chance of absenteeism that last week of school before the holidays.

While the late start to break could create absenteeism issues at the start, the same break could solve similar issues at its end. With the 2012-2013 winter break starting late, it stretches into the first week of January, with students returning to class January 7. In the past, students returned within a day or two of the new year—students will return from this year's winter break on January 3—and returning so soon after New Years Day often lead to absenteeism, board member Terry Pavesich said during the meeting.

To see the proposed 2012-2013 calendar, check out Monday's agenda on D99's website. To see a copy of the 2011-2012 calendar to compare it to, click here.