Norwin students are likely to get a longer summer vacation under a proposed school calendar that would have classes begin after Labor Day.
Superintendent Jeff Taylor recommended to the school board Monday that it would be better to start school on Sept. 8 than in mid-August for several reasons related to the covid pandemic. The reasons included the “social and mental health perspective.” The school board is expected to vote on the proposed school calendar at its April 19 meeting.
“Students need a longer break” and have more time with family and friends this summer because of the pandemic, Taylor said.
Students who attend summer camps at Norwin would have less than a month of vacation if the district were to start classes in August, Taylor said. Because of the pandemic, Norwin started this school year on Aug. 31.
Taylor also offered a tangible reason as well. The school district is not permitted to order supplies and equipment for new school year until the budget is passed and the fiscal year begins on July 1, Taylor said.
But, with pandemic-related delays in the supply chain and increase in supply and demand, it may take more than four-to-six weeks for supplies to arrive, Taylor said. The district might not have the resources and supplies it needs if school started earlier.
Starting the school year later would push the last day of the school year and graduation to June 10, 2022.
For the 2022-2023 school year, he said the district would start earlier, moving the starting date earlier over the next few years to the time when the district traditionally started classes.
