Spring break will be earlier in 2011

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Spring Break in District 833 schools will be earlier in 2011 according to the calendar up for school board approval on Feb. 18.

Vacation days will be from March 14 to March 18, two weeks earlier than this year and in previous years.

The change is because all grades will be on trimester schedules and the second trimester ends March 11.

The trimester schedule change in secondary schools will also mean there will be one calendar for all grades, instead of two, and is expected to be more convenient for parents.

Moving to one calendar would increase student contact days in elementary schools from 173 days to 174 and reduce conference hours from 22 to 16.5 hours because of increased parent access to the new electronic student data system, according to the calendar committee.

At the high school level, there will be one less student contact day with conference hours expanded from 11 to 16.5 hours because teachers need more time when the number of classes they teach increases from three to five.

Though metropolitan districts continue to lobby the Legislature to drop the requirement that school must start after Labor Day, the law remains unchanged and school will start on Sept. 6 this year.

—Judy Spooner

Tags: daily updates, district 833, spring break, local news, education