Calendar Proposal FAQ

How will this calendar affect employee salaries?
If accepted, this proposal will not affect the salaries of district employees who work in schools. The district will save money because there will be no need to pay for replacements on these six days.

If the employee works with students, (e.g., SEAs, Teachers) they will take the additional six days off as holidays but will make up for this time by having a slightly longer regular working day.

If the employee does not work directly with students (e.g., Clerical, Custodial) a slightly different approach will be necessary. Employees might work on these days or might make up the time by adding days elsewhere in their work schedule, but they would not lose any pay. We are currently in discussion with CUPE to determine the best way to accomplish this.

How does this effect extended day schools?
If accepted, this proposal will mean the elimination of “short Fridays”, “late starts” and the alternative calendar at Yennadon. Instead, the daily schedule for all elementary (K-7) schools (except Kanaka Creek) will be: 8:30 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. Monday to Friday, and the daily schedule for all secondary (8 – 12) schools will be 8:30 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Currently, elementary schools across the district have varying school day lengths. Some elementary schools add 20 to 25 minutes per day in order to have “short Fridays”. At Yennadon 20 minutes is added per day in order to create nine additional holidays throughout the year. All secondary schools add five additional minutes per day in order to have a monthly late start. One of the goals of this proposal is to provide a more uniform approach to school schedules that will lead to more opportunities for students and staff, greater consistency for parents, and more efficient use of staff resources.

Does the school district realize that this proposal will create a financial burden for many families?
The District is committed to exploring family access to low-cost options for their children during school breaks that provide high quality programming, especially for vulnerable learners. Parks and Recreation has expressed interest in providing extended programs to match the school calendar, which may ease childcare problems for some families.

As we prepared this proposal, many parents commented favourably about the benefits of extending Spring Break and creating some long weekends. They often explained that these changes would help them extend family time, and create flexibility for family holidays. Students also noted that an extended Spring Break would allow for family holidays. Many parents emphasized the importance of consistency and predictability of school hours and calendars, particularly in making arrangements for childcare and transportation. We believe these benefits will outweigh some unavoidable disadvantages.

How can the few minutes added each day make up for the six full days of lost instructional time?
The district is required by law (the School Act) to provide a certain minimum number of instructional minutes per school year. In order to accomplish our goal of removing six instructional days from the calendar it is necessary to ‘replace’ these lost minutes elsewhere. We believe that adding a small number of minutes to the remaining instructional days is the best way to do this.

Research has shown that the number of minutes in a school day, days in a school year, or how the days are distributed, is not what determines student success. It is not the amount of time, but what we do with that time that has the biggest effect on student achievement. In school District No. 42 our emphasis is on finding ways to engage students in their learning and to maximize personalized learning opportunities.

Why can’t we keep extended day schedules, and late starts at secondary, and still have the additional week at Spring Break and a long weekend in the fall?
While the proposed timetable was prompted by financial pressures, it has many other advantages. These include increased opportunities for job-sharing and cross-school appointments, more efficient scheduling of itinerant staff time, and retaining employment for teachers with specialties that do not have large enrollments. Common timetables could also enable teachers to collaborate across schools on mentoring and other projects, both teacher-teacher, and teacher-students.

Keeping late starts as well as the proposed additional six days would add approximately 30 to 35 minutes to each school day. Lengthening the school day to this degree is potentially challenging for young learners, while early dismissal Fridays add risk for vulnerable students. It would also mean additional daycare costs for families. 

If the Board does not approve the district-wide calendar proposal, will there still be changes to the bell schedules at extended day schools and Yennadon’s calendar?
If the Board does not approve the proposed calendar, current late start and early dismissal schedules will be reviewed and realigned to ensure the best use of limited funds.

If the proposed calendar is rejected due to a philosophical opposition to adding instructional minutes to the day, then that would necessitate a review of early dismissal and late start schools as these schools currently add up to 25 minutes to their school days.

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