At Ross Local School District, we know how important the school calendar is to our families, staff, and community. That’s why we recently invited input through a Calendar Survey to help guide the creation of the school calendar for the upcoming years. We’re grateful to the over 800 students, parents, guardians, and staff members who took the time to share their preferences and feedback.

 

What We Learned

The survey results provided valuable insights into what our families and staff value in a school calendar:

• Long Summer Breaks: Preferred by 80.5% of parents/guardians and 77.7% of staff.

• Fall Break: 47.1% of parents/guardians and 34.9% of staff indicated a preference for no fall break.

• Thanksgiving Break: 64.6% of parents/guardians and 52.3% of staff preferred Thanksgiving break to be less than a full week.

• Start of the School Year: The third week of August was the preferred start time for 83.1% of parents/guardians and 82% of staff.

 

Balancing Priorities

While the survey highlights shared preferences, creating a school calendar is a complex process that requires balancing many factors. In addition to community input, we must also consider:

• State-mandated instructional hours and testing schedules.

• The need to prioritize instructional time to set students up for success on high-stakes assessments and their future successes.

• Contractual obligations such as teacher workdays and government holidays.

• The desire to provide breaks for rest and family time while protecting instructional time.

 

No calendar will meet everyone’s needs perfectly, but we are committed to creating a calendar that serves the best interests of our students, staff, and families.

 

Looking Ahead: A Three-Year Calendar

To better support families and staff in planning ahead, the district is working to develop a three-year school calendar. This will allow families to anticipate important dates for the school year and incorporate them into their long-term planning.

 

Next Steps

• Last Week: District staff met with a group of staff members to review survey data and finalize details for a proposed 3-year calendar.

• December 19: The proposed three-year calendar will be presented to the Board of Education for review and discussion during the December board meeting.

• January 2025: The Board of Education will vote on the proposed calendar at the January board meeting.

 

We appreciate your engagement in this process and thank you for your input. Together, we are working to create a calendar that reflects the needs and values of the Ross Rams community while prioritizing what matters most—our students’ education and success.

For updates and additional information, please stay tuned to our district website and social media platforms.

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