Public schools in Calgary will be switching to one instructional calendar next school year.
Calgary Board of Education schools will have a unified fall break between Nov. 9 to Nov. 14, 2023. And the 29 schools on a “modified calendar” – running from mid-August to late June – will have to move to the traditional calendar.
The CBE made the decision after seeking feedback from parents and families.
“Some of those families had siblings in different schools that were on different calendars, and for them, they actually had brought forward to us as a concern that they were having trouble managing child-care arrangements and other components that are important to them,” CBE superintendent of school improvement Andrew Holowka told Global News.
Parents systemwide were notified of the change Thursday morning.
“Some of our parents were also sharing that they were feeling that they couldn’t necessarily make the best educational decision for programming for their children, or choosing based on calendar rather than what is best for their child,” Holowka said.
The CBE said students should have greater access to language and alternative programs that operate on the traditional calendar.
Holowka also noted the school board should find improved efficiencies and reduced operational challenges with the move to one calendar.
“We’re always looking at the best way we can serve our families and make sure that there’s strong learning experiences for students, while really trying to maintain a most-efficient and effective system possible,” she said.
“So having one calendar kind of helps us do both, where we know that we can really focus on the best learning experiences for students across the system, and then also help advantage families who are balancing different calendars.”
The changes take effect in September 2023.