Administrators with Commerce City Schools are reviewing how, if at all they can add more days to the academic calendar for students and teachers next year.
The Board of Education unanimously agreed during its regular meeting on Monday (Feb. 13) to table the proposed 2012-2013 calendar, which mirrors the one currently in use.
This school year’s calendar is based on 174 instruction days for students and 180 total workdays for teachers. It was shortened two years ago for budget reasons, Superintendent James “Mac” McCoy said, acknowledging the 10 lost days for teachers as furloughs.
He asked the board to give him a month more to study whether or not returning the previous calendar — 180 days for students and 190 days for teachers — is possible.
Such a determination depends largely on budget projections for 2012-2013, McCoy said. Those numbers are difficult to assess just half way into this fiscal year, he added.
But the approximate cost to the system for those additional days is $500,000.
“I don’t want to set a calendar until we are closer to knowing that. I think we will be a little closer to how things look and shake out by next month,” McCoy said, adding later, “I don’t know if we’re going to get there. But we’re going to try.”
His request to table any decisions came during the board’s workshop session held on Feb. 9.
At that time, he said the bulk the feedback from parents on the subject related to fall break. McCoy said city schools would continue to include a long weekend, at the least, as fall break.
