When it comes to preferences on the Creston Community School District’s school calendar survey, nearly half of the respondents said they would not be open to a school calendar that included the same number of school days spread more evenly across 12 months.
“As a district, we’ve kicked that idea around,” said Steve McDermott, CCSD superintendent. “There’s research out there that talks about student retention of learning if their summers are a bit shorter.”
McDermott said the purpose of the survey is to gather input from all stakeholders on planning the calendar for the upcoming school year. The survey was completed by 419 respondents, which included parents, students, teachers, staff and community members, who are surveyed annually by the district’s administration.
Out of the 419 individuals who responded to the electronic survey, 314 said the current school calendar worked “extremely well” or “very well” for their family.
One area of ongoing debate across the nation is whether or not the school year should start before or after Labor Day, which is a three-day weekend. McDermott said district officials have some say as to when it can start school, but it’s the Iowa Legislature that dictates the earliest date districts can start. This year, the earliest date CCSD can begin classes is Aug. 23.
“I’d really hate to start on a Friday,” said McDermott. “We’re trying to wrestle with that.”
Because the school year typically starts back midweek, McDermott said a short first week makes the transition from vacation mode to a more structured schedule easier for students – particularly young students.
The survey allowed respondents to make recommendations and comments. This year, the district received 173 comments.
“I feel it is best for my student to have semester tests before Christmas break like college students,” one respondent wrote. “They spend many days away from school and schoolwork, and then are expected to test.”
McDermott said some respondents expressed interest in seeing the school year start after Labor Day and end before Memorial Day. He also said suggestions were made to end the high school semester before winter break.
“Well, there aren’t enough days in there to do it,” said McDermott.
Overall, the current school calendar works well for the majority of respondents. Based on the survey results and the feedback shared, McDermott does not foresee any major changes to the school calendar this year.
“After analyzing all of that, our school calendar for next year really won’t be that radically different from what it was this last two or three years,” said McDermott.