Cedar Rapids school board to discuss 2010-11 calendar

It looks like Taylor Elementary School is on its way to being a year-round school once again.

The Cedar Rapids school district will propose calendars for the 2010-11 school year at Monday's school board meeting, during which Superintendent Dave Benson will share a traditional school year calendar for the majority of the district and a modified calendar for Taylor and Polk elementary schools.

Both calendars include 180 days of instruction and 191 teacher contract days.

Traditionally, Taylor and Polk schools operate on a modified calendar. However, the June 2008 flood forced Taylor to close for year. Polk adopted a traditional school calendar for the 2008-09 school year.

Taylor reopened this year with a traditional school calendar while Polk went back to its modified calendar. Taylor parents have expressed interest in the school going back to a modified calendar, too.

According to the proposed 2010-11 calendars, Taylor and Polk would start classes on July 22, 2010. All other schools would start on Aug. 24, 2010. Spring break would continue to be the last full week of March and three potential weather make up days would be identified within the school year.

“Comments received from our community input process indicated a strong preference to schedule spring break near the end of March and to have some emergency weather make up dates identified as part of the school year calendar,” said Laurel Day, Calendar Committee chairwoman. “Any additional make up days needed would still be scheduled at the end of the school year.”

The proposed calendars also include 16 early dismissal days for professional development for staff. The district's professional development schedule aligns with its goals supporting Professional Learning Communities and the District in Need of Assistance plan.

The early dismissal schedule would be a key change to both calendars. Middle and high schools would dismiss at 12:30 p.m. Elementary buildings would dismiss at 1:30 p.m. The change allows the district to serve lunch to students, something that is not possible for secondary students under the current early dismissal schedule, and decreases the amount of instructional time lost on early dismissal days.

To view the proposed calendars, visit http://www.cr.k12.ia.us/news/Stories2009-2010/20091008.html

The school board is expected to consider and finalize the 2010-2011 at the Oct. 26 meeting.

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