My kids' school does not have air conditioning, and it gets VERY hot - to the point where my son came home dripping in sweat, wet through all his clothes on many days last August. For the schools that DO have air conditioning, it is expensive to run. It does not seem to make sense fiscally, or physically safety-wise, to start school as early as we do when August is hot. I see that there are two proposed calendars here, but they have merely a 2 day difference in start date. Which does nothing to change anything of significance in relation to August heat, or in relation to the fact that there are virtually no camps for kids who need childcare in May when we get out before the rest of the local districts. Will OUSD be able to offer childcare for the families who need it? Can OUSD fund a camp for all of the tk-7th grade kids who need to be supervised the week of Memorial Day? If no, then PLEASE move our calendar a full week later, to end AFTER that week. Finalize the 2025 calendar now too.
I oppose both the proposed start and end dates. It’s ridiculous to think robust attendance would occur with an end-of-week (Thurs) start and an end date after a holiday weekend. It’s just not realistic for families from a care or vacation perspective. Fewer minimum days or a shorter Thanksgiving or Winter break would be preferable to the proposed schedule.
Would also implore the district to make calendaring decisions like this earlier in the school year, so start date for the following academic year is confirmed by Dec. It is almost impossible to plan for summer childcare with such a late release of information, as camps - often nonrefundable - begin booking in Jan for the summer.
I think it's silly to have a single day of school left after the Memorial day weekend. There will be mass absenteeism and even less people showing up mentally. If there is work to be done that ends on that date, it simply ruins the long weekend for students and teachers alike. My preference is to start on August 5th or 6th, have 2 equal terms on either side of the winter break, and wrap up by memorial day.
I hear the pleas to align with neighboring districts but I still don't understand the benefit of that. The best argument I've heard is to ensure more summer camp options, which certainly matters, but my perception is that those options also thin out as one goes further into August.
I am opposed to starting school in the middle of the week. This makes it difficult for families to find childcare for the first half of the week. Perhaps the only benefit is for teachers to start their work week on a Monday and it prevents them from having to report to schools at the end of July if school started Monday August 5th, which I understand is not ideal either. Can school start on Monday August 12th?
I am also opposed to having one last school day after a 3-day weekend. I can’t imaging attendance would be high for both students and teachers. If school started on 8/12 (2 days later than proposed), then those 2 days added in May would make the last day of school a Thursday 5/29, which I think makes more sense.
I don’t think it makes sense to start the school year on a Thursday because that leads to an instant lack of continuity for students, particularly those new to a school, nor do I think it makes sense to end the school year on the day after Memorial Day. I don’t understand why the year cannot just begin on at least the Wednesday of that first week and end the Friday before Memorial Day.
Starting on Thursday, Aug 8 is decidedly worse than the Tuesday, Aug 6 start. If it's simply not possible (though I find it hard to believe there's no solution) to have school go into June at all, then stick with the earlier in the week start date. Managing childcare for 3 days that week rather than 1 is harder and having one random day of school after Memorial Day makes no sense and interrupts that week of care. This "solution" is worse than the original problem and I hope won't be the actual answer.
I agree with the many other comments that the start and end dates are problematic. Please consider an August 12 start date and a May 29 end date. If there is a concern about getting more school hours in before winter break, either reduce the number of minimum days or make the Thanksgiving break shorter.
This makes less sense than the first start/end date. Having two weeks where kids would need partical camps/care, or parents would have to pay for a week but miss 1-2 days in both August AND May, is not a solution. You've made the complication parents are facing when it comes to finding reliable childcare before/after the school year even worse. Align the OUSD calendar with other Bay Area school districts!
Having the kids come back for one day of school after Memorial Day weekend makes zero sense. This is a disruption for travel planning, childcare/camps, etc. There has to be a better solution.
A start date of August 8 is an inconsiderate imposition on families. This will leave families scrambling to find affordable care. Town Camp is one of the few affordable options in Oakland and it only goes through 7/26-leaving a week to fill with mostly expensive and private options. Further stressing families to find a three-day option shows great disregard for Oakland families.
Additionally, I don’t understand the utility of having school end the day after the marking period. Clearly learning is not the goal here.
I would like to see OUSD start later and align with neighboring districts, but this is not the way to begin. A full week shift would be welcomed by most OUSD families-but with some intention and forethought, not after most camps have started their enrollments and families have made their summer plans.
I support an August 5 or 6 2024 start date and a future where the calendar is not only approved in the fall, but the school year starts later in August. Thank you.
I also agree with the majority of the commenters who are asking to align the OUSD school calendar with neighboring school districts. Most summer camps don't even begin until June and starting the first week of August always feel way too early.
Echoing the other comments from OUSD parents, I wish the OUSD would (1) align its schedule with neighboring school districts and start the second week of August and (2) confirm the school calendar earlier. Summer camps typically open enrollment in January, and it's hard for working parents to arrange for childcare when we do not yet know the OUSD calendar for next year.
I strongly oppose the suggested school calendar. why is Oakland the only district starting school the first week of August. The impact on OUSD families is significant and unjustified. Align with other school districts. Start Mid Aug. at the earliest and end in June. Like every other school does.
I agree with many other comments that the school calendar should be aligned with calendars of neighboring districts. As we must all take summer off , there's an entire economy of summer camps and other activities, most of which sync up with most kids' normal calendars (June to August), and not to Oakland's unique one. I think even the original justification for this situation--we need to sync up the calendars of every family, K-12, in Oakland for the benefit of the few high schoolers who may want to take community college courses--no longer applies. It's also very frustrating to have these calendars set so late, since there is no safe way to assume when school will happen because Oakland insists on being unique.
AlsoL is there really any instruction happening at the end of the year between the end of the marking period and the last day of school? Shouldnt the last day of school be the end of the marking period. Otherwise, it's just freetime and videos and not real learning time
The ultimate goal here should be to align with neighboring district schedules and start the 2nd full week of August (8/12/24) and run into the start of June.
My kids' school does not have air conditioning, and it gets VERY hot - to the point where my son came home dripping in sweat, wet through all his clothes on many days last August. For the schools that DO have air conditioning, it is expensive to run. It does not seem to make sense fiscally, or physically safety-wise, to start school as early as we do when August is hot. I see that there are two proposed calendars here, but they have merely a 2 day difference in start date. Which does nothing to change anything of significance in relation to August heat, or in relation to the fact that there are virtually no camps for kids who need childcare in May when we get out before the rest of the local districts. Will OUSD be able to offer childcare for the families who need it? Can OUSD fund a camp for all of the tk-7th grade kids who need to be supervised the week of Memorial Day? If no, then PLEASE move our calendar a full week later, to end AFTER that week. Finalize the 2025 calendar now too.
I oppose both the proposed start and end dates. It’s ridiculous to think robust attendance would occur with an end-of-week (Thurs) start and an end date after a holiday weekend. It’s just not realistic for families from a care or vacation perspective. Fewer minimum days or a shorter Thanksgiving or Winter break would be preferable to the proposed schedule.
Would also implore the district to make calendaring decisions like this earlier in the school year, so start date for the following academic year is confirmed by Dec. It is almost impossible to plan for summer childcare with such a late release of information, as camps - often nonrefundable - begin booking in Jan for the summer.
I think it's silly to have a single day of school left after the Memorial day weekend. There will be mass absenteeism and even less people showing up mentally. If there is work to be done that ends on that date, it simply ruins the long weekend for students and teachers alike. My preference is to start on August 5th or 6th, have 2 equal terms on either side of the winter break, and wrap up by memorial day.
I hear the pleas to align with neighboring districts but I still don't understand the benefit of that. The best argument I've heard is to ensure more summer camp options, which certainly matters, but my perception is that those options also thin out as one goes further into August.
I am opposed to starting school in the middle of the week. This makes it difficult for families to find childcare for the first half of the week. Perhaps the only benefit is for teachers to start their work week on a Monday and it prevents them from having to report to schools at the end of July if school started Monday August 5th, which I understand is not ideal either. Can school start on Monday August 12th?
I am also opposed to having one last school day after a 3-day weekend. I can’t imaging attendance would be high for both students and teachers. If school started on 8/12 (2 days later than proposed), then those 2 days added in May would make the last day of school a Thursday 5/29, which I think makes more sense.
I oppose both of the proposed calendars. Start first day of school on August 14 to be consistent with BUSD and other local districts.
I don’t think it makes sense to start the school year on a Thursday because that leads to an instant lack of continuity for students, particularly those new to a school, nor do I think it makes sense to end the school year on the day after Memorial Day. I don’t understand why the year cannot just begin on at least the Wednesday of that first week and end the Friday before Memorial Day.
Please align with neighboring school districts, and please don't start school on a Thursday and end with one day after a holiday weekend.
Starting on Thursday, Aug 8 is decidedly worse than the Tuesday, Aug 6 start. If it's simply not possible (though I find it hard to believe there's no solution) to have school go into June at all, then stick with the earlier in the week start date. Managing childcare for 3 days that week rather than 1 is harder and having one random day of school after Memorial Day makes no sense and interrupts that week of care. This "solution" is worse than the original problem and I hope won't be the actual answer.
I agree with the many other comments that the start and end dates are problematic. Please consider an August 12 start date and a May 29 end date. If there is a concern about getting more school hours in before winter break, either reduce the number of minimum days or make the Thanksgiving break shorter.
I oppose both of the proposed calendars. Start first day of school on August 14 to be consistent with BUSD and other local districts.
This makes less sense than the first start/end date. Having two weeks where kids would need partical camps/care, or parents would have to pay for a week but miss 1-2 days in both August AND May, is not a solution. You've made the complication parents are facing when it comes to finding reliable childcare before/after the school year even worse. Align the OUSD calendar with other Bay Area school districts!
Having the kids come back for one day of school after Memorial Day weekend makes zero sense. This is a disruption for travel planning, childcare/camps, etc. There has to be a better solution.
A start date of August 8 is an inconsiderate imposition on families. This will leave families scrambling to find affordable care. Town Camp is one of the few affordable options in Oakland and it only goes through 7/26-leaving a week to fill with mostly expensive and private options. Further stressing families to find a three-day option shows great disregard for Oakland families.
Additionally, I don’t understand the utility of having school end the day after the marking period. Clearly learning is not the goal here.
I would like to see OUSD start later and align with neighboring districts, but this is not the way to begin. A full week shift would be welcomed by most OUSD families-but with some intention and forethought, not after most camps have started their enrollments and families have made their summer plans.
I support an August 5 or 6 2024 start date and a future where the calendar is not only approved in the fall, but the school year starts later in August. Thank you.
I also agree with the majority of the commenters who are asking to align the OUSD school calendar with neighboring school districts. Most summer camps don't even begin until June and starting the first week of August always feel way too early.
Echoing the other comments from OUSD parents, I wish the OUSD would (1) align its schedule with neighboring school districts and start the second week of August and (2) confirm the school calendar earlier. Summer camps typically open enrollment in January, and it's hard for working parents to arrange for childcare when we do not yet know the OUSD calendar for next year.
I agree with the other comments. I would like OUSD to be aligned with other local school districts. Thank you.
The Aug 8 start day is unfriendly to families' work schedules.
I strongly oppose the suggested school calendar. why is Oakland the only district starting school the first week of August. The impact on OUSD families is significant and unjustified. Align with other school districts. Start Mid Aug. at the earliest and end in June. Like every other school does.
I agree with many other comments that the school calendar should be aligned with calendars of neighboring districts. As we must all take summer off , there's an entire economy of summer camps and other activities, most of which sync up with most kids' normal calendars (June to August), and not to Oakland's unique one. I think even the original justification for this situation--we need to sync up the calendars of every family, K-12, in Oakland for the benefit of the few high schoolers who may want to take community college courses--no longer applies. It's also very frustrating to have these calendars set so late, since there is no safe way to assume when school will happen because Oakland insists on being unique.
AlsoL is there really any instruction happening at the end of the year between the end of the marking period and the last day of school? Shouldnt the last day of school be the end of the marking period. Otherwise, it's just freetime and videos and not real learning time
The ultimate goal here should be to align with neighboring district schedules and start the 2nd full week of August (8/12/24) and run into the start of June.