In early December, a letter to district parents from the superintendent described the concept of the balanced school calendar and invited feedback via an e-mail address on the potential for the calendar to be applied in our district sometime the future. Information was also posted on the district website and the letter was covered extensively in the news media.

More than 400 responses from staff, parents, students and others have been received at the email address provided and these have been reviewed, categorized and summarized. In addition, district staff or Surrey Board of Education trustees have discussed the concept with representatives from employee groups and parents in meetings since November. The board appreciates the input and ideas from the community members who took the time to contribute their point of view.

The results show there is strong support for keeping the standard provincial calendar.

The most common issues raised about the balanced calendar included summer classroom temperatures, summer family vacations and student employment. There were also concerns about the district calendar being out of sync with other school districts and workplaces, and the potential impacts on childcare.

Some proponents of a local/balanced calendar suggested other options, including extending the school year into mid-July. The respondents who had experienced a local/balanced calendar in other school districts were more in favour of the concept than the large majority of respondents who were considering it for the first time.

This information is helpful to the board as it makes its annual decisions and reaffirms the continuation of the two-month summer break in the foreseeable future. The input is also useful for any individual schools considering a local calendar in the future, as permitted under board policy.

Meanwhile, the 2009/10 local calendar — with the two week spring break and one extra day following Remembrance Day — was made possible through an increase in the daily minutes of instruction and is in place for the current school year only. Any possible reduction in the number of days of instruction for 2010/2011 would be considered as part of the Board’s budget process which is currently underway.

Last Updated: February 23, 2010