Meeting Time: January 24, 2024 at 4:00pm PST
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Agenda Item

T.-131 24-0227 Approval by the Board of Education of draft District 2024-25 Academic Calendars TK-12 as District 2024-25 Academic Calendars TK-12.

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    Justin Hyche 4 months ago

    Please move the end of school to June and start of the year to mid-August at the earliest. SFUSD will start 8/19, and other surrounding school districts start 8/12 at the earliest. There is no value to starting the first week of August. It puts undue burden on the parents to find childcare and to try to align their schedules with other families that don't start until late August or early September. Other school districts have figured out a way to have finals before winter break and not start until mid-August. Oakland can do this too.

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    Nelly Momblan 4 months ago

    Please move the start of school to mid-August to align with local districts. Ending school in May poses childcare problems as many camps do not begin until June.

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    Jennifer Levy 4 months ago

    The OUSD Calendar starts and ends too early. Please align the start and end date with neighboring school districts.

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    Noam Benoni 4 months ago

    Please start/end the school year similar to other Bay Area districts, which begin/end at least a week later and seem to all finish the semester/finals before Winter Break (see below schedules). As others have said, it makes finding childcare very difficult when camps are not available when OUSD ends the year in late May.

    - Berkeley 24/25: Starts 8/14, ends 6/5
    - Alameda 24/25: Starts 8/15, ends 6/5
    - Santa Clara Unified 24/25: Starst 8/13, end 6/4
    - San Leandro Unified 24/25: Starts 8/14, ends 6/5
    - Albany Unified 24/25: Starts 8/14, ends 6/4

    Please approve and release the calendar with more advance notice so families can plan for summer/school breaks before there aren't any options available. Again, most other districts already have next year's calendars approved and available.

    Thank you.

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    Nicole Sattler 4 months ago

    The proposed calendar starts and ends too early in comparison with summer supports for families. I would also implore the board to set the academic calendar in line with other neighboring school districts and to publish calendars at least 9 months in advance of school start, ideally 1+ year ahead at all times so that families can set up the childcare support they need.

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    Bissy Tharinger 4 months ago

    It's hard to understand why confirming the school calendar is such a challenge. Yet, in the absence of confirmation, it seems reasonable to anticipate the board will take into consideration all the valid points raised in the comments, and do the right thing. The right course of action should include ending school no earlier than May 30, commencing the next school year no sooner than the 2nd week of August, and releasing the following year's calendar before the 1st school break. Other local school districts can pull this off, we should be able to as well.

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    Megan Wheelehan 4 months ago

    Please return OUSDs school year to a calendar that is more in alignment with other bay area schools. It is very difficult for working parents to find childcare options during the first two weeks of the summer and many summer activities, like sport teams, run past the beginning of OUSDs early school year. Please also align OUSDs spring break with nearby districts.

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    Caitlin Sandberg 4 months ago

    Why cant we start school the second week of August like the rest of the Bay Area and Country? School should end May 30 and we should start back up mid Aug. Would be easier for camps and vacations.

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    Elizabeth Feldman 4 months ago

    Hi, families and businesses need to have the date released earlier. It is a stressful and unnecessary guessing game every year as families and businesses wait to hear the start date.
    Previously when I was within another district they would have 2 years ahead of a planned calendar released. This feels very possible for OUSD to be thinking and planning further ahead as well.
    Thank you

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    Nichole Anderson 4 months ago

    I would prefer staying in school until June and returning after labor day. The summer is too early currently.

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    Allison Haslam 4 months ago

    I also don't want to delay the calendar being approved but I do want to request that the calendar decided at least in December, if not a whole year in advance. There are summer camps that are already filled and our calendar isn't official yet.

    Please consider moving back the school year by at least 1 week and starting mid-August. OUSD ends earlier than surrounding districts and it's really hard to find summer camps in May. This schedule is putting an additional burden and stress on working parents.

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    Mark Hejinian 4 months ago

    Please start later so that we’re better aligned with neighboring school districts. This would also align better with camps and other non-school opportunities.

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    Katy Mercer 4 months ago

    Please consider releasing the school calendar before the end of December each year and align the start and end of the school year to be more in line with other local school districts. The end of school should be after Memorial Day ant the earliest and the start of school in mid August or later. It is unreasonable to shift the summer calendar to the current dates as they do not align with summer camp planning, family vacations, play dates, etc. thank you.

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    Diana Garber 4 months ago

    I request
    1. School calendar be set for a few years at a time
    2. To not start the first week of August. It’s too early, the classrooms are hot and it’s not in line with neighboring districts. Please start August 12 this year if not later

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    Megan Gallagher 4 months ago

    Please move the start of school to mid-August to align with local districts as well as districts across the country. Vacation planning was horrible last summer with the early start date. For the first time in years, we could not join our extended family on the East Coast for our annual vacation the first week of August. My husband and I work full time and finding child care in late May is tough as summer camps don't start until June. Kids and families need a summer vacation.

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    Emily Goodman 4 months ago

    Position is neutral as to not further delay the approval of the calendar. Please consider shifting the start / end dates back by a week, and release the calendar earlier. This should be an easy win for the board. Thank you!

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    Mara Baum 4 months ago

    It is offensive and insensitive to families that OUSD does not release its schedule by December (at the latest). Numerous camps and other summer activities require registration by January. There is no acceptable reason why the district can’t plan farther in advance. Further, do not start until the second week of August. The week of the 5th is unreasonable.

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    Muang Saechao 4 months ago

    Please decide the calendar earlier (at least by December) and also shift the year’s start date later to at least mid-August. You know summer doesn’t technically even start until June 21..

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    Caitlin Nelson 4 months ago

    Come on, people. At least decide the calendar earlier - it's unreasonable to wait this late to decide the first day of school for next year. Calendars should be decided years in advance not months.

    Also, OUSD starts unreasonably early compared to other neighboring school districts and makes scheduling child care over the summer very difficult.

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    Nora Rosenthal 4 months ago

    Please consider moving the calendar so that students don’t start school until at least middle of August. Our end of year and start are so early compared to other schools in the area and around the country. We have family we try to see during the summer break but so much of our breaks aren’t aligned it makes it challenging to connect with those loved ones who live far away. It’s also extremely frustrating that the calendar for next year is still not known to families. This feels like something that could be decided and voted on much earlier in the school year. It would be very helpful to have this info sooner. Thank you.