One lesser known but very important committee made up of teachers is the calendar committee. Joined with board members and central office staff, teachers help decide when school is in session. The committee works well in advance, currently working on the 2017-18 school year. These members are given two calendars to choose from and they each vote on which one they prefer. The differences in these two are not substantial but contain minor changes for days off. Both must contain certain parameters that are required by our district. Some of these include 169 student days, 184 teacher days, and two built-in snow days.
“There is some thought put into these calendars and not just randomized,” said Mrs. Annie Diederich.
Some negotiated agreements include holidays and which ones that students get off. Some of you may be wondering why spring break falls so early. The reason for this is because of the Kansas Board of Regents. Our school tends to follow that guideline that they provide. If you get on their website, you would be able to see all colleges start days and spring breaks in the state. Our spring break follows this so that colleges and high schools are off around the same time.
After the committee decides on the two, they send them out to the rest of the district to vote. Teachers are able to vote on these and whichever one wins is sent to the board to decide.
“Almost always the one the faculty picks, is the one that the board agrees with,” said Mrs. Diederich.