New freedom for school districts to set their own calendar may mean big changes for some districts around the province, but Powell River will likely remain the same, according to School District 47 officials.
School districts recently received notice from the provincial ministry of education that a new school calendar regulation will allow boards of education more creative scheduling options to better meet the needs of students.
“We don’t really see this as much change for us,” said Jay Yule, superintendent of schools for the district. In previous years the district had extended spring break after consulting with teachers, staff and parents.
The new regulation gives the control over school calendars to local boards of education. They will be able to determine the number and dates of days in a session, the dates of vacation periods and non-instructional days. The ministry will continue to regulate the number of instructional hours, and the district will have to consult with the public before finalizing calendars.
The School Act requires boards of education to prepare a proposed calendar by the end of February and consult with parents, and teacher and staff unions before submitting it to the ministry by the end of March.
“Each year if we have a change it goes to our employee groups and then to the parent advisory committees to get their feedback,” said Yule. “We’ve moved the dates and number of days of our spring break around, but we’ve always consulted all of our user groups.”
Yule added that Powell River Board of Education hasn’t been pushing for year-round schooling.
“It hasn’t been ruled out as an option,” he said, “but it’s definitely something that we haven’t been contemplating.”
Yule said the change in regulations now opens the door for conversations with parents and teachers about what is optimal for students.
