North Thurston, Olympia districts considering a school year with shorter summer breaks
Picture this: A school year that potentially begins in August and ends in June, with a shorter summer break in between, but with more time off in fall, winter and spring.
The idea is called a “balanced calendar” and it was the recent focus of a joint meeting between Lacey City Council and the North Thurston Public Schools board. At first glance, it may look like year-round school, but North Thurston Assistant Superintendent Monty Sabin said that is not the case.
Students currently go to school for 180 days, and under the balanced calendar school year that would not change, Sabin said. What would change is how the school year is divided up.
A district-formed steering committee of about 50 people that includes students, parents and teachers is exploring a couple of approaches: a school year with a 45-day learning block, followed by 15 days off in fall, winter and spring, or a 45-day period of school, followed by 10 days off in fall and spring, but with a 15-day winter break.
Summer break would be reduced to 5-8 weeks, down from the traditional 11-week period, according to district data. Holidays would still be observed, he said.
Why do this? The district, with encouragement and grant funding from the state, is trying to address student learning that is lost over the traditional summer break, particularly among low-income students.
During Sabin’s presentation, he showed a video that explained that low- and middle-income students learn at the same pace during the school year, but the low-income student may not have the same learning opportunities over the summer as the middle-income student. By fifth grade, the cumulative effect of that learning loss for low-income students can mean they are 2.5-3 years behind their middle-income peers.
The district also believes there are other benefits, Sabin said. With shorter but more frequent breaks, the district believes students will be more rested, and teachers and staff will experience less burnout and stress.
There are things that still need to be figured out, such as child care, the impact to student activities and sports, and the impact to school operations, particularly in summer when school construction typically takes place.
Lacey City Councilman Lenny Greenstein asked whether the state was requiring school districts to make the change.
Superintendent Deb Clemens said it’s not a requirement, but there is a statewide effort to explore the idea.
Olympia School District is doing the same, spokeswoman Susan Gifford said Friday.
“At this time we can’t offer a specific timeline, as time is needed to continue that thoughtful exploratory work before any potential next steps are taken,” she said.
Tumwater School District currently is not working toward a balanced calendar, spokeswoman Laurie Wiedenmeyer said.
North Thurston plans to have community forums on the topic and provide an update to the school board in January. A recommendation will come before the board in May, and if approved by the board, the transition to a balanced calendar would begin during the 2022-2023 school year, followed by implementation the next year, Sabin said.
For more information about the balanced calendar or the committee or to read frequently asked questions, go to: https://www.nthurston.k12.wa.us/Page/25742.
This story was originally published October 30, 2021 at 5:45 AM with the headline "North Thurston, Olympia districts considering a school year with shorter summer breaks."
