The Abridged version:
- Sacramento City Unified School District has proposed a permanent mid-August school start date.
- Parents shared mixed opinions on the possible change.
- The district is gathering feedback through an online survey and community forums, with a final decision expected by the end of the year.
Back to school in Sacramento may be earlier from here on out.
The Sacramento City Unified School District has asked parents to weigh in on enshrining an earlier start date in next year’s academic calendar, in a survey shared Monday morning.
The district spelled out a list of benefits that could come from a mid-August start, such as holding finals before winter break and better access to summer jobs or internships. Their release also included a six-question survey and schedule of five community forums next month.
2022 teacher strike forced initial early start
Sacramento City USD historically returned to class around Labor Day, making it one of the last districts in the region to kick off their school year.
But following a teacher strike in 2022 that resulted in eight days off of school that spring, the district eventually came to an agreement with the teacher’s union and state board of education to avoid about $40 million in penalties.
Over the last two years, students in Sacramento City USD have returned to school eight days earlier than usual, making up a combined 16 days of instruction (state education code requires districts to account for double the amount of learning time lost).
And now, the district’s board of education will consider making that the status quo.
‘Biased’ parent survey raises eyebrows
A single parent and graduate student at University of California, Davis studying early child development, Callie Williams said she first took issue with the format of the survey.
“I sensed that it was really biased in favor of trying to get parents to say that they would prefer an earlier start because they’re caring parents,” Williams said.
Questions on the brief survey each multiple choice, asking parents, students and staff to rate various benefits as somewhere between “very important to me” to “not important to me at all.”
“As a parent, if you’re reading the survey, we all care about our children, we all want our children to get the best education possible,” Williams said. “We’re going to be deterred from saying, ‘No, I don’t care at all about my child having more time to study for the AP test for instance.’”
Brian Heap, chief communications officer for the district, said it intended “to conduct the survey through a student-centered lens, using statements that explain the rationale and supporting arguments for changing the current academic calendar. We are asking all families to what degree they support those reasons.”
“Those who are opposed to the calendar change may answer ‘not very important to me at all’ to the questions – and some have done just that – thus voicing their lack of support.”
Co-parenting her daughter, a 4th grader at Alice Birney Public Waldorf TK-8 School, means summertime is “precious” to Williams, she said. And she has concerns about her daughter’s school now ending earlier and having to find childcare while she is busy with her own university classes and finals.
Williams said she would like to attend one of the October forums to bring her doubts before district officials, but as a single parent, has trouble attending evening meetings.
Benefits favor older students
Mallory Ullman, a stay-at-home parent to two Washington Elementary School students, said she is okay with the change, even though it came “out of the blue” to her.
“We’ve already had shortened summers two years in a row, so if they’re going to propose to change it for next year, we feel a little bit of that ‘ugh’ that we’re going to … start earlier and lose a couple weeks,” Ullman said. “But, you know, c’est la vie.”
She said her group chat of fellow elementary school parents was fairly quiet on the day of the survey’s release.
The advantages of an earlier start according to the district mainly favor students older than Ullman’s children.
Rayna Mitchell, parent of a student at C. K. McClatchy High School, said that while she can understand some of the potential upsides, including an earlier graduation ceremony in slightly cooler weather, she still questions why the district wants to move forward with this permanent change.
“What I would counter is that you got kids going to school in August which is hotter than June typically,” Mitchell said. “There’s also kids doing sports practices in August as opposed to September. You’re running probably air-conditioning more.”
Mitchell’s youngest child is a senior this year, meaning the schedule adjustment won’t affect her son or their family. But having parented two children through Sacramento City USD, she has experienced the traditional late start as well as the more recent shift forward. And she said she prefers the former.
“Vacations at the end of August were nice because they weren’t as crowded,” Mitchell said.
Parents say they just want to know sooner
For Kristin Butler, the parent of a fifth grader at Pony Express Elementary School, the post-Labor Day start always felt too late. She said she feels “indifferent” to the district’s new proposal.
“As long as we get the time, the break, it really doesn’t bother me to go back in August,” Butler said.
To go along with a mid-August start, the district would also move the end of school from June to May, starting in 2027.
But, Butler said, what she does care about is prompt communication.
“Them putting something out now is good,” she said. “They definitely need to have a decision by, I mean as soon as possible.”
Heap, the district’s spokesperson, said a final decision from the board of education is expected before the end of the year.
“Don’t be wishy-washy,” Butler added. “Let’s do it or we’re not going to do it. And people need to know as soon as possible.”
The survey asks:
Respondents are asked for each of the six questions to say whether the proposed benefit is “Very important to me,” “Important to me, “Not very important to me” or “Not important to me at all.”
- Finals Before Winter Break: I believe SCUSD students should be able to take first semester final exams before winter break to avoid learning loss, reduce their stress, and provide them with a needed mental break.
- AP and IB Testing: I believe SCUSD students should have equitable opportunities for learning time to prepare for AP and IB testing, compared to students in neighboring districts.
- Summer Classes: I believe SCUSD students should have the opportunity to take summer courses at community colleges without overlapping with the school year.
- Student Employment: I believe SCUSD students should have greater access to opportunities for summer jobs, internships, and camps.
- Athletics: I believe SCUSD high school athletes participating in fall sports should have the same access to practice time in preparation for the season as their competitors from other school districts.
- Graduations and Promotions: I believe SCUSD students and families would benefit from schools hosting graduation and promotion ceremonies at the end of May, which is traditionally cooler than mid-June.
Savannah Kuchar is a reporter covering education. She came to Sacramento to be a part of the Abridged team and contribute to a crucial local news source.
