District 200 Approves Mid-August Start Date

Photo caption: District 200 School Board Photo credit: District 200 website

Community Unit School District 200 recently approved its 2016-17 calendar, which included a school start date of Aug. 17.

The school district had previously proposed moving the start date back to Aug. 24 after several parents complained that the Aug. 17 date cut into family and relaxation time, according to Suburban Life Publications. On Dec. 9, the school board ultimately decided to stick with the Aug. 17 date, voting 4-2 in favor of it.

• READ MORE: Should Wheaton District 200 Move Back School Start Date?

Here is the statement posted on the District 200 website following the vote:

Tonight, the Board of Education adopted the 2016-17 School Calendar and includes a start date of Wednesday, August 17, 2016 and the last day of school being Wednesday, May 31, 2017 with five emergency days to follow if needed.

In October, the Board approved posting of a tentative calendar with a start date of August 17, 2016. After hearing feedback from the community, the Board approved posting of a revised calendar with a start date of August 24, 2016 - which also generated feedback from the community, ultimately bringing student learning concerns to the forefront. The first and primary consideration in constructing the District School Calendar is to provide the best educational opportunities for all students.The construction of the 2016-2017 calendar was based on a set of informal guidelines that have been in place for several years. Informal guidelines include: starting school in the third full week of August, on a mid-weekday to allow students an opportunity to transition into a school schedule; recessing the full week of Thanksgiving; recessing for ten days for winter break; attending school on Veterans Day, but holding President’s Day and Columbus Day as holidays; recessing a full week for spring break; maintaining graduation on Memorial Day weekend; finishing school as close to graduation as possible; and conducting Institute Days on full, rather than half or shortened days.

The community feedback indicates that the District needs to reassess guidelines used for calendar construction each year. A committee consisting of District-level administration, representatives from Wheaton Warrenville Education Association, the Classified Employees Association and community members will be formed to conduct a more formal feedback process around the various components of the calendar and make recommendations to the Board prior to the 2017-2018 recommendation. Board President Jim Vroman is pleased with the community conversation and assures the community that the conversation about school calendar will not end with tonight’s vote. “We, the Board and the District 200 staff, have learned that we must continue to have this meaningful dialogue with the community to review the guidelines and criteria on which the calendar is based and to incorporate the community’s priorities,” says Vroman.