Dec. 1, 2021
Dear PSD community,
You are invited to share your thoughts to help inform the development of future Poudre School District school year calendars.
This survey, available in Spanish and English, is open from Dec. 1, 2021, through Jan. 1, 2022. Families who need support with Arabic or other language translation may contact their family liaison.
Staff, students, parents/guardians and community members are welcome to respond. Results of the survey will be available publicly on the Calendars and Schedules web page sometime after the survey closes in January.
The PSD Calendar Committee will consider community feedback when creating the draft 2023-24 and 2024-25 school year calendars, as well as future school year calendars.
As it develops school year calendars, the PSD Calendar Committee is focused on the instructional needs of our students. That has long guided the committee’s complex work to balance the many competing interests and needs of students, staff, families and our communities.
Survey respondents are asked to give feedback on options for consideration by the committee, such as starting the school year after Labor Day. Keep in mind that it may be logistically impossible to implement all possible options simultaneously or even in the same school year, in some instances.
Please note: The committee is only gathering feedback at this point as it creates drafts of future school year calendars. No decisions have been made, and the PSD Board of Education must vote to approve PSD’s calendars prior to adoption.
Members of the public can follow the calendar process as it progresses. In addition to survey results being made public on the PSD website, PSD Calendar Committee members are scheduled in April 2022 to present draft school year calendars to the school board. Board meetings are open to the public, and agendas are posted on the PSD website.
Moving forward, the Calendar Committee intends to send out a survey like this every two years. Garnering consistent feedback is an important part of the calendar development process.
Those with questions about the survey or calendar process may contact Calendar Committee Co-Chairs Melanie Mierzwa, at mmierzwa@psdschools.org, or Alicia Bono, at aliciab@psdschools.org.
Thank you for your continued partnership.
Sincerely,
Poudre School District
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this survey mean PSD is making a significant change to future calendars? The options in the survey (including but not limited to a five-day fall break, ending the first semester in the last week of January, starting the school year after Labor Day and ending the school year in June are just that: options being considered for future school year calendars. No decisions have been made. That includes decisions about options respondents are asked to provide feedback on. The PSD Board of Education must vote to approve PSD’s calendars prior to adoption. In this case, the Calendar Committee is scheduled to present draft school year calendars to the school board in April. The board will be asked to vote to approve the calendars. All PSD Board of Education meetings are open to the public, so members of the public can follow the process as it progresses.
Why doesn’t the survey also ask for feedback about the length of school days, the number of employee professional development days, and other contracted days for staff? This survey is focused on garnering feedback to inform development of future school year calendars. Although they are directly connected to school year calendars, things like contracted staff days and professional development days are part of the Employee Agreement, negotiated annually by the three PSD employee associations and district administration.
When was the last time the PSD Calendar Committee put out a survey like this? It has been about five years or so since the last survey to give input on future school year calendars. Moving forward, the Calendar Committee intends to send out a survey like this every two years. Garnering consistent feedback is an important part of the calendar development process.
The PSD Board of Education voted in October 2021 to approve the 2022-23 school year, which is posted on the PSD website. Is it possible that the 2022-23 school year calendar could be changed, based on survey results? Yes, it is possible that the PSD Calendar Committee may propose changing the 2022-23 school year calendar. If that were to occur, the committee would have to present a proposed amendment of the current approved calendar to the PSD Board of Education, which would vote on whether to approve the change or changes.
Where can I find the current or future PSD school year calendars? On the Calendars and Schedules web page.
How are families supposed to plan for things like requesting time off from work or vacations when changes are made to school year calendars? The PSD Calendar Committee and district leaders are extremely cognizant of the challenges that are presented by calendar changes and respect families’ need for time to plan. The Calendar Committee develops calendars years in advance to give students, staff, families and our communities time to prepare for any possible changes that might occur when the school board ultimately approves a given school year calendar.
In the past, I’ve felt like PSD doesn’t listen to community feedback. Why is this survey important? Garnering consistent feedback is an important part of the calendar development process because the school year calendars impact students, staff, parents/guardians, family members, businesses, community partners and so many more. It is not guaranteed that the PSD Calendar Committee will do everything strongly favored in the survey because there are logistical challenges with implementing many of the options proposed. That is to say, there are situations where some of the options conflict and couldn’t all be implemented together. PSD is committed to listening to our community members and will consider all input.
How can I follow the calendar development process? Results of the calendar input survey will be available publicly on the Calendars and Schedules web page sometime after the survey closes in January. In addition to survey results being made public on the PSD website, PSD Calendar Committee members are scheduled in April 2022 to present draft school year calendars to the school board. Board meetings are open to the public, and agendas are posted on the PSD website.