Manatee County School District surveying community about shortening winter break for next two years
BRADENTON -- The Manatee County School District is surveying parents, employees and community members on potentially shortening the winter break for the next two school years in order to end the school year before Memorial Day.
The general consensus so far? Don't do it, said Paul Hockenbury, the school district's coordinator of leadership development, who helps oversee the calendar process.
"Right now, about 73 percent of responses are opposed to reducing the winter break," Hockenbury said.
On Tuesday, the district launched a one-question survey, at the direction of the school board, to see how parents, employees and community members would feel about shortening the end of the 2016-17 and 2017-18 winter breaks so that students and teachers could finish the school year before Memorial Day in May.
Board members Dave Miner and Charlie Kennedy were two who were interested in the idea of surveying stakeholders about that option. Miner said he wasn't sure how much academic benefit students were getting in going to school on the Tuesday and Wednesday after Memorial Day. And Kennedy said he looked at the benefit numerically for teachers and staff.
"By giving up two, you get five," Kennedy said, referring to the fact the school year would end on Friday May 26, instead of Wednesday May 31 for the 2016-17 year.
As of Thursday afternoon, more than 3,300 people had filled out the survey, Hockenbury said, the majority being parents. The Manatee Education Association is running a separate survey of teachers and paraprofessionals, he said, and he expected to get those results late Monday.
The online survey will stay open as long as possible before Hockenbury has to present to the board on Wednesday, he said. Paper copies of the survey are also available at district sites for employees who don't have regular access to computers, at the suggestion of Deputy Superintendent of Operations Don Hall.
The board is expected to hear a full update on the survey Wednesday during a school board workshop.
Although the 2016-17 and 2017-18 calendars have not been formally approved, it appears likely the district will take advantage of a law that changed in the last legislative session, which allows school district to have students start back on Aug. 10. A previous law did not allow the district to start prior to 14 days before Labor Day, usually meaning districts started in late August.
The earlier start times allows the districts to finish the first semester before the winter break started, something Hockenbury said had been a sticking point for superintendents across the state of Florida.
The board gave the earlier start time a tentative stamp of approval during an earlier board workshop.
On Wednesday, the board will not take action on the calendar, but Hockenbury will provide updates to the survey about shortening winter break. Unless there's a drastic change in the survey data, Hockenbury said he probably will not recommend that the board shorten the holiday.
The board is not expected to take action on the calendars until the Nov. 17 meeting, Hockenbury said.
The survey and proposed calendars can be viewed on manateeschools.net.
Meghin Delaney, education reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7081. Follow her on Twitter@MeghinDelaney.
This story was originally published October 23, 2015 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Manatee County School District surveying community about shortening winter break for next two years ."