Considerations and Frequently Asked Questions

Salt Lake School District Calendar Options

The Calendar Committee considered a number of issues in developing the three calendar options. Here are some of the discussion details about these factors, a list of frequently asked questions and a description of the background and decision making process for the selection of the final calendar option.

1. Start and End Dates and Major Vacation BlocksTop of Pagetop

The Committee strove to develop three distinct calendar options for presentation in contrast to previous years where the options were quite similar in start dates and vacation windows.

2. Placement of Professional Development and Teacher Compensation daysTop of Pagetop

The Salt Lake School District builds into its calendars nine non-student days (eight for high schools) to be used for professional development and teacher compensation days. The Committee tried to place these days at the times most desired and productive for teachers while causing the least amount of disruption for students and their families.

3. Number of full weeks versus short weeks Top of Pagetop

In developing the calendars, the Committee attempted to maximize the number of full weeks of instruction, wherever possible.

4. Whether or not to move towards a common calendar for all schools in the districtTop of Pagetop

a. Don’t we already have a common calendar?

Yes, except for 6 elementary schools that have opted for a year-round schedule. All other K-12 schools in the Salt Lake District have the same calendar that has followed the traditional 9-month schedule.

b. Do any of the 3 options establish a common calendar that includes the six year-round schools?

No. The calendars presented here are only for the 9-month schools.

c. What are the benefits of having a common calendar?

Having some schools on a different calendar poses some challenges to the Salt Lake School District. There are a number of benefits that come from all schools in the district having a common calendar:

i. Families with students at different grade levels would have a common schedule for all their children;
ii. Could possibly decrease bussing costs;
iii. Allows common professional development days for teachers which will likely be easier to coordinate district-wide and possibly cut down on the associated costs;
iv. Increases flexibility of scheduling between schools for teachers, principals and counselors.

5. Whether or not to align the district’s schedule with other Utah districts Top of Pagetop

a. How do Option 1 and 3 affect school choice and mobility since those calendars are most similar to others on the Wasatch Front?

Options 1 and 3 align relatively closely with school districts on the Wasatch Front and in most of Utah, as well as private schools and charter schools both in and out of the District’s boundaries. This close calendaring makes it easier to transfer between schools mid-year both for families who are moving in or out of the district, and for those who move a child to a different private, charter or other public school that is better suited for their needs. It also more easily accommodates children in the same family attending different schools that better address their particular needs.

b. How does Option 2 affect school choice and mobility since its calendar is not similar to others on the Wasatch Front?

Option 2 does not match up with any other district’s or school’s schedules along the Wasatch Front and thereby makes transfers and changes between local private, charter and non-Salt Lake District schools during the year more difficult because the beginnings and ends of quarters and semesters would not match up.

However, under Option2, students moving over winter break will have received credit for an entire semester of work that would transfer more easily than a partial term.

c. Does the calendar affect interschool associations, athletics, competitions and collaborations?

The schedules for high school sports are established by the Utah High Schools Athletics Association and should not be affected by any of the calendar options. The practical implications on practice schedules and other non-sport interactions with non-district schools have not been reviewed by the committee.

d. Does the calendar affect teachers who live in other districts and whose children attend their local school?

Yes. Teachers who live outside the district will have to make childcare arrangements while their children are out of school and Salt Lake is in school. This is true whenever a teacher’s child is on a different schedule from his/her own schedule.

6. Whether or not to partially align the district’s schedule with local colleges to provide more concurrent enrollment classes and other college benefits Top of Pagetop

a. What is “Concurrent Enrollment”?

A concurrent enrollment class is a college-level class offered to high school students for both high school and college credit.
Concurrent enrollment classes are different than Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes that provide skilled training courses but do not offer college credit.

b. How many students take advantage of concurrent enrollment classes?

Approximately 600 students took concurrent enrollment classes in 2009-2010 (slightly less than 10% of high school students and about 2.5% of the entire district).

c. What concurrent enrollment classes are currently offered?

More than 50 concurrent enrollment classes were offered, and 32 classes were actually held (based on 2009-2010 data). Of those, 7 classes had more than 20 students enrolled throughout the year.

d. How do the Options impact the possibility for providing more concurrent enrollment classes?

Under Options 1 and 3, the beginning of the high school and higher ed spring semesters are misaligned by three weeks since the fall semester concludes before winter break and the high school semester ends a few weeks into January. Option 2 aligns the end of the high school fall semester with the semester end at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) by concluding before the winter break and also commences the spring semester at the beginning of January similar to SLCC. This alignment would more easily allow district high school students the ability to access additional concurrent SLCC courses taught by college faculty on the SLCC campus during school hours, particularly in the spring semester.  Currently, district students primarily take concurrent enrollment classes in the high school from high school teachers who have masters degrees in the subject and are approved by SLCC. Fall semester courses on SLCC campus are available under all three options, but, under Options 1 and 3, students would have an empty home release time for the last few weeks of the fall semester in January since they would have already concluded the SLCC course before the winter break and would have no other class to fill that time slot.

e. How does ending the fall semester before winter break affect early graduation?

Students who choose to graduate from high school early could enter a local college or University immediately in January instead of waiting until summer or fall semester. The number of early graduates is approximately 5% of the District’s graduating classes.

f. Is Option 2 fully aligned with the schedule for local colleges and universities?

No. While aligned with SLCC in ending fall semester before winter break, Option 2 begins fall semester 3 weeks before the University of Utah and SLCC, and ends 1 week after the colleges end in the spring.

g. What is the Options’ impact on attendance of college summer school?

The University of Utah and BYU have recently determined that shorter 5-1/2 week summer sessions are more effective and meet the needs of their students better than a single, 10 or 11 week session. Accordingly, the U of U’s first summer session runs from May 17 to June 23, and its second session runs from June 24 to August 4. All three Options allow for the opportunity for eligible students to attend the second session of summer school at the conclusion of spring semester. Option 2 also allows eligible high school students to enroll in college classes in the first summer session. It is not clear how many students would take advantage of these summer options.

h. What are some other implications of getting out of school in mid-May and starting in early August?

Older students may have a broader choice and access to getting summer jobs and industry internships before other schools are out. However, some of those jobs may need someone who can work through August when these students would have to return to school.
Some families may have difficulty finding childcare and worthwhile activities for their children in May since many summer sports leagues, camps and other programs don’t begin until the majority of schools are out in early June. Students may further be precluded from participating in summer sports leagues and other camps that extend into August when students would already be returning to school.

7. Whether or not to provide more time between the end of the school year and the end of the district’s fiscal year (June 30) for summer schoolTop of Pagetop

a. How many students take advantage of summer school courses?

There are summer school programs currently available at all our high schools, middle schools, many elementary schools and through other programs such as Northridge Learning Center and on-line at Electronic High School. In 2009, East High School served up to 400 students in their summer school program who were earning primary and or make-up credits. In 2009 a total of 2,144 students participated in summer programs at 18 elementary, three middle and one high school offered through the District’s Community Education program.

b. How much time is there for summer school before the district’s fiscal year end on June 30 under the 3 proposed options?

Under Options 1 and 3, there are 3 weeks for summer school before the district’s fiscal year end from the end of school until the end of June. Under Option 2, there are 6 weeks for summer school classes before the fiscal year end from the end of school. The main complaint from students and parents has been that the summer program in high school needs to be longer than 3 weeks. If full summer semester courses could be offered, students that are behind will have the advantage of staying "on-track" rather than falling further and further behind which leads them to delayed graduation, and in some cases causes students to drop out. Option 2 provides three more weeks between the end of the school year and the fiscal year end.

c. Does summer school have to end by the district’s fiscal year end at the end of June?

Summer school does not have to be constrained by the district’s fiscal year end. Two of the three high schools have currently scheduled summer school for 2010 to begin in June and end in July. For example, West High School’s 2010 summer school program begins on June 14 and ends on July 12. However, some funding dollars are lost when the summer program extends into the next fiscal year.

d. Are there options other than summer school for students to earn make-up or primary credit?

Yes. At the secondary level, students can make up credit at any accredited Utah high school, through the Utah Electronic High School (free to all Utah students) and through the North Ridge Learning Center (for a small fee). An example of an existing in-school program is East High School’s Credit Recovery Program which allows students to make-up classes they have failed, either during the school day or after school hours. A nominal fee is associated with this program.

8. Whether or not starting school in early August has an increase on energy costsTop of Pagetop

There are no anticipated significant increases. The Salt Lake School District begins cooling school buildings at the first early frost-free date, which has been established to be April 15th. The cooling cycle continues in the district buildings through October, with the exception of the month of July which the district attempts to keep as a cooling free month. There is always a 50/50 chance, however, that numerous buildings will be utilized in July for programs, maintenance and or construction projects and necessitate cooling. An early August start date may increase the need for access to the buildings in preparation for the school year by staff and for registration.

Salt Lake School District Enrollment (based on 2009-2010 data):

District Total Enrollment 23678
High Schools 6821
Middle Schools 3202
Elementary Schools 13545
Charter Schools 685
Other 110

For Additional Information

Please feel free to contact the facilitator of the Calendar Committee, Patrick Garcia, at Patrick.Garcia@slcschools.org or 801- 578-8420. Or you may contact any of the members of the Calendar Committee who are listed on the website.

Background and Process

How We Got Here And Where We Go From HereTop of Pagetop

The 2010 Salt Lake District Calendar Committee has been meeting since early February to develop three academic calendar options for the 2011-2012, 2012-2013, and 2013-2014 school years. The Committee consists of 24 members and is comprised of administrators, teachers, parents and all support services related to the Salt Lake School District’s operations. A list of the members and their emails is on the district website and on the accompanying “Considerations” paper.

Three different calendar options have been proposed by the Committee. Each option has been discussed extensively and evaluated from each member’s point of view. The options have been presented to the schools in the Salt Lake School District to be reviewed by the School Improvement Council (SIC) boards and then a final vote taken by the School Community Council (SCC) board at each school in the fall of 2010. The Salt Lake School District will host two public information meetings, one on May 26th at 7:00 pm at Highland Park Elementary School and one on September 2nd at 7:00 PM Glendale Middle School, to gather input from all community stakeholders. Calendar decisions are due at the district offices by Friday, September 24, 2010.

How is the calendar chosen?

Each SCC will vote on the three calendar options at their meeting in the fall, after review and recommendation by the school's SIC. That single school vote will be weighted by the number of students enrolled in the school. The weighted votes from all the schools, K-12, will then be added together and the option receiving the most votes is presented to the School Board for review, discussion and final approval.

How do I vote?

Individuals do not directly vote on any of the options. However, your input matters! If you have any preferences, thoughts, concerns or opinions on any of the options or the process, please communicate them directly to your SCC Chair, your principal and/or your School Board representative. Attend the meetings and voice your opinion. Answer the survey. Talk amongst yourselves, but then be sure to let your representatives know!

Your input about these calendars is very important

Please review the three proposed options and consider their effects on your school community. Please discuss them with your faculties, administration, neighbors, SCC chairs and your Salt Lake Board of Education Representative.

Because of the distinct differences between the three options, the Committee has recommended that every effort be made to educate our communities about the options and their respective attributes. To that end, the Salt Lake School District will host at least two public information meetings, one on May 26, 2010 and another in the fall on Thursday, September 2, 2010 to field questions and gather input from all community stakeholders. In addition, the district will conduct an on-line survey in order to gain a sense of the community’s calendar priorities. All calendar information will be made available on the Salt Lake District’s website and we hope on the websites of each school. Paper copies of the information will be made available upon request.

To fully educate stakeholders about the calendar options and the process for approval, each school itself needs to take steps to inform its community on a local level. We strongly encourage you, as SCC Chairs, to work with your own SCC, SIC, faculty, principal and PTA to ensure broad dissemination of information, to answer questions and hold meetings in your community. The District stands ready to assist and support you in any way they can, including sending representatives from the Calendar Committee and/or the district. You may want to consider the folliwng suggestions.

To assist you in understanding the three options and in answering common questions about the choices, the Committee has prepared four documents.

Main Factors in Developing the Calendar Options

The central issues in developing the Salt Lake District’s three calendar options are listed below. Following the list are discussion details on each point accompanied by a list of frequently asked questions.

  1. Start and End dates and major vacation blocks.
  2. Placement of Professional Development and Teacher Compensation days.
  3. Number of full versus short weeks.
  4. Whether or not to move towards a common calendar for all schools in the district.
  5. Whether or not to align the district’s schedule with other Utah districts to accommodate the mobility of families and school choice, as well as accommodating interschool associations.
  6. Whether or not to partially align the district’s schedule with local colleges to provide more concurrent enrollment classes and other college benefits.
  7. Whether or not to provide more time between the end of the school year and the end of the fiscal year (June 30) for summer school.
  8. Whether there would be any significant increases in energy costs.

 

 

 

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This page was last modified June 11, 2010