The Palo Alto Board of Education will implement a new calendar that includes an earlier start date and pre-break finals for 2012-2013 and 2013-2014, after board members approved the motion, 3-2, at the school board meeting last night. The Calendar Committee had offered two calendars for board’s consideration. The first option, approved by the school board, features a mid-August start, pre-break finals, and an end date in late May. The second option was more similar to the current calendar.Prior to the final decision, the majority of the public comments made by the Palo Alto parents, teachers and students argued against the new calendar. Many in the community opposed the new calendar because it decreased family time during summer and winter break, while others worried that college application deadlines would clash with studying for finals. Similarly, student athletes were concerned that the earlier start to the school year would interfere with sports conditioning.
Board members Barbara Klausner, Barb Mitchell and Dana Tom voted for the new calendar, while board President Melissa Baten Caswell and Vice President Camille Townsend voted against it. Supt. Kevin Skelly did not vote.
The board will explore ways to accommodate uneven semesters, hot classrooms in elementary and middle schools during the summer, and increased college application support for high school students later this year.Editor’s note: In the final vote mentioned in the second-to-last paragraph, President Camille Townsend voted against the new calender while Supt. Kevin Skelly did not vote. The current version of the story reflects this change.