PINE BLUFF, Ark. — The Pine Bluff School District is considering making significant changes to its calendar.
The district has been asking parents for input on an "early start" calendar model, which means less of a summer break. However, administrators believe it could create a better learning environment.
An early start calendar would bring students back to the classroom earlier than August next school year.
“Our school board is taking the time to really dig into this and learn about it before they make the decision,” Pine Bluff Superintendent Jennifer Barbaree said.
Arkansas school districts can choose between these calendar models:
- A traditional model
- Four-day calendar
- A calendar based on hours
- A year-round or early start calendar
“When you say year-round or 12-month, it makes people think that you go to school all year and you don't,” Barbaree said.
Barbaree explained what an early start version could look like for the district’s school year.
“It means that we could start in July but have more frequent breaks or longer breaks throughout the school year,” Barbaree said.
Arkansas districts have guidelines that must be met regardless of the district's calendar.
“You must have 178 student contact days," Barbaree said. "If you do the year-round calendar, you cannot have longer than a seven-week break."
Shifting to an early start calls for a shorter summer and more breaks.
After getting advice from the superintendent at the Hamburg School District, Barbaree learned that starting early could mean less burnout and better learning.
“Staff and students had less attendance issues,” Barbaree said. “In conversations with our staff, maybe this would help with burnout because they need to be refreshed.”
Barbaree said they're also considering concerns like breaks interfering with childcare.
Nothing is set in stone, as the district wants to hear from the community first.
“We do not want to make a decision without trying to capture as much information as we can,” Barbaree said.
Currently, more than 400 responses have come in through their social media survey.
“If we have a good response by the January 22 board meeting, there might be a possibility for the board to go ahead and vote that in,” Barbaree said.
The survey is only available through the district’s social media but will soon be on its website.
If a decision isn't made on Jan. 22, the earliest it may come is February.