Why doesn’t school start after Labor Day or at least a week later than it does?

We could do this by shortening the Winter or Spring Breaks, or by going an additional week or two in June. Proposed calendars with these options have been overwhelmingly rejected by the public. 

Why doesn’t Spring Break coincide with Easter?

In the past, many patrons have asked that we have a consistent week for Spring Break — the week containing  April 1st — so they can plan extended vacations. Sometimes Easter is the middle of March and sometimes it is the middle of April. 

Could Fall Break be a full week?  Could we remove Fall Break?

Many of our other breaks occur in the first semester so we have not lengthened it.  We could remove fall break now that there is not a UEA convention, but the representatives on the calendar committee felt strongly that the students, community, and teachers want the break.  

Why don’t we start early in August, have several weeklong breaks during the year and go into June? Why don’t we start later, end earlier, and shorten or eliminate the breaks during the school year? Why don’t we start in September and go through the middle of June?

We receive many such questions that have competing requests. Over the last several years, patrons have expressed a continued desire for a weeklong Spring Break and up to a two-week Winter Break. The committee begins by deciding when these two breaks will be and how long and then works backwards to meet the required number of school days. Many would like school to start the second week of August because high school activities statewide begin then and there would be more school days before Advanced Placement tests. Many others would prefer to start in September when it is cooler and go a couple of weeks into June. The committee weighs these competing interests as they make a recommendation.