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Kettering students could see a major change in the school calendar for 2012-13, as the district hopes to move the school year two weeks earlier, possibly making it the earliest starter in the Miami Valley.
A draft calendar for 2012-13, not yet approved by the Kettering Board of Education, shows school beginning on Aug. 14 and ending May 22. In the current school year, Huber Heights was the only traditional Dayton-area district to start before Aug. 16, and that was for specific construction reasons.
Kettering Superintendent James Schoenlein said the reason for the change would be to create more time for classroom instruction before the annual Ohio Achievement Assessments and Ohio Graduation Tests, which make up more than 90 percent of the state’s school district report card. The spring OGT is administered in mid-March, and most of the OAAs are given in the last week in April and the first week in May.
“If the state of Ohio just announced that Kettering City Schools got 10 more days than everybody else to get ready for the tests, the rest of the state would go crazy,” Schoenlein said. “But we’re actually doing that ourselves.”
A Dayton Daily News review did not reveal other local districts planning a similar move.
Scott Ebright, spokesman for the Ohio School Boards Association, said Kettering is not alone in starting school earlier, but their motive may be different. Ebright said while districts are looking for many ways to improve student performance with little financial investment, he had not heard of districts specifically tying their calendar change to OAA dates.
“This is a local control issue, and what’s right in Kettering may not be right in Oakwood or Trotwood,” he said. “I applaud them for being creative. Moving the calendar so kids have more seat time before the tests — I think that’s got some merit to it.”
Schoenlein said Kettering definitely hopes to make the switch, but there are some issues to be resolved. The school board intended to vote on the new calendar Feb. 15, but withdrew it from the agenda when an accounting problem arose concerning pay dates for teachers, according to district treasurer Steve Clark.
Proceed with caution
Kettering teachers union president Melissa Gallagher said the union has no position on the principle of the calendar change, but hopes the district will take time to think over the details.
“I brought up the pay issue, so they pulled it off the agenda,” Gallagher said. “I have concerns that more things (like that) might come up.”
Gallagher mentioned concerns over the dates for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests, spring sports schedules, as well as broader issues like family vacations and schedules being disrupted.
“Our members are worried about school attendance levels that early, accommodating move-ins, family schedules being disrupted ... will the students come to school?” she said.
All Kettering schools are air-conditioned, so there should not be an issue with overheated classrooms, which caused Huber Heights schools to close two hours early on Aug. 11. Huber Heights has had a number of different start dates, and Superintendent William Kirby agreed there are a variety of issues to look into.
“If you go to school too late in June, high school students may miss out on work opportunities and teachers have a difficult time enrolling in (higher education classes),” Kirby said. “I have had parents complain in other school districts when school starts in early August because it may conflict with summer vacation plans.”
End early or status quo?
Jennifer Gehring, who has a daughter at Kettering’s Oakview Elementary, said she would “absolutely be in favor” of an earlier start and end date, while fellow Oakview parent Michael Drake said he’s not sure moving two weeks earlier would make much of a difference academically.
Melissa Herzog, whose son attends Van Buren Middle School, said the earlier start would cut into the heart of summer and the nicest weather for being outside or at the pool.
“I know a lot of people who don’t take their family vacations until August because they want to relax right before school starts,” she said.
Schoenlein said Kettering already moved its school year one week earlier a few years ago, with the district running from Aug. 24 to June 2 this year. And while some parents said there is already too much focus on state tests, that remains the driving factor.
“We have to get the thumbs-up on (a teacher pay issue), but I think we can get it all worked out,” Schoenlein said. “If we can, this could be huge for our test scores.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2278 or jkelley@ DaytonDailyNews.com.
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