August 2002 News Archive
Thursday, August 28, 2002
Possible Calendar Change for School Year 2003-2004
Currently, there are a total of three separate calendars in the Santa Barbara Elementary and High School Districts: traditional, extended, and year round. Multiple calendars, each with its own start date, vacation schedule, and end date, have evolved over the years for various reasons. As we look ahead to school year 2003-2004, the Districts are considering a change in the current system. With the exception of Cleveland and the Santa Barbara Community Academy, which are year-round schools, if the Board of Education approves the proposal, all other elementary, junior high, and high schools would shift to an extended calendar.
Among the important reasons for consideration of an extended calendar at most schools in the Elementary and High School Districts are the following:
- Academic Achievement. Research and first-hand experience point to improved continuity in learning when the 180-day school year is spaced more effectively.
- Improved Attendance. Dramatic improvements in attendance, particularly following the Winter Break and Spring Break, have occurred in schools that are on the extended calendar.
- Schedule Compatibility. In the current three-calendar system, schedule planning and coordination has become a logistical challenge for many parents and school/District Office staff.
As you will see on the proposed calendar, with the extended calendar, school would begin one week earlier and end one week later than the traditional calendar. Also, Winter Break would be three weeks long and Spring Break would be two weeks long. The extended calendar has been successfully implemented at Harding, Washington, and Franklin schools.
| Proposed School Calendar for 2003-2004 | |
| Aug. 18, 2003 | Report Date for New Teachers |
| Aug. 19-21, 2003 | Staff Development Days |
| August 25, 2003 | First Day of School |
| Sept. 1, 2003 | Holiday – Labor Day |
| Oct. 24, 2003 | End of First Quarter – SMHS minimum day |
| Oct. 27-31, 2003 | Parent Conferences – minimum day for elementary school students |
| Nov. 11, 2003 | Holiday – Veterans’ Day |
| Nov. 26-28, 2003 | Holiday – Thanksgiving |
| Dec. 22, 2003 – Jan. 9, 2004 | Holiday – Winter Break (classes resume January 12, 2004) |
| Jan. 19, 2004 | Holiday – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day |
| Jan. 23, 2004 | End of First Semester – minimum day for all students |
| Feb. 13, 2004 | Holiday – Lincoln’s Birthday |
| Feb. 16, 2004 | Holiday – Presidents’ Day |
| Mar. 1-5, 2004 | Parent Conferences – minimum day for elementary school students |
| Mar. 26, 2004 | End of Third Quarter – SMHS Minimum Day |
| Mar. 29 – Apr. 9, 2004 | Holiday – Spring Break (classes resume April 12, 2004) |
| May 24, 2004 | Holiday – Memorial Day |
| June 17, 2004 | Last Day of School |
| June 18, 2004 | Staff on Duty |
Please share your views on the proposed extended calendar by sending an e-mail, preferably by September 13, 2002, to: Barbara Keyani. Your e-mail will be shared with the Board of Education.
On Wednesday, September 25, 2002, the proposed calendar will be on the Board of Education’s agenda for discussion. You are welcome to attend this Board meeting, which begins at 7:00 p.m., and takes place in the Board Room, District Office, 720 Santa Barbara Street. Regularly scheduled Board meetings are taped and aired on the Saturday following the meeting which, in this case, would be September 28, 2002, Channel 18, beginning at 5:00 p.m. Check your television guide for further details.
A calendar change in the Santa Barbara School Districts affects our feeder school districts and community agencies that serve children. Thus, as we have done in the past, we are bringing this proposal to their attention, in order to include their viewpoints in this process and, if the proposal is accepted, to coordinate a schedule change.
Dos Pueblos High School: Measure V Improvements (Summer 2002)
When classes begin on September 3rd, Dos Pueblos High School students and staff will see three significant changes on campus, all funded by the Measure V bond. Approximately $800,000 of Measure V-funded modernization work took place during the past three months. All three projects will be completed by the time school begins.
First, the most visible improvement is the installation of a new, enlarged paved student parking lot at the intersection of Alameda Avenue and Cathedral Oaks Road. Striping will be done the week of August 19, 2002.
Second, the domestic water line replacement project is nearing completion.
Third, replacement of building glazing (windows) will soon be finished.
Measure V, a $67 million general obligation bond, was passed by local voters in March 2000. Those bond funds are being used for infrastructure repairs, modernization, and other facility improvements at the following campuses: Goleta Valley Junior High School, La Colina Junior High School, La Cumbre Middle School, Santa Barbara Junior High School, Dos Pueblos High School, San Marcos High School, and Santa Barbara High School. Several bond-funded projects have been completed at each of these sites and others are in progress. Aerial views, "Road to Renovation" newsletters, and other information on Measure V projects can be found on the Santa Barbara School Districts’ web site.