PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The public is getting a chance to weigh in as the School District of Philadelphia develops its calendar for the next two school years.
Starting classes before Labor Day, and half-days for report card conferences, emerged as major issues in one virtual “breakout room” Monday as the school district launched a series of four online sessions to gather public feedback.
Parent Linda D’Orazio questioned the wisdom of starting the school year in August, in a district where many buildings do not have air conditioning.
“This year, for example, we had to go to half-days because of the heat,” she said.
“A lot of the schools aren’t equipped appropriately. If they were equipped appropriately with air handling and air conditioners it would make a lot of sense for us to start. But it only seems to be getting hotter and hotter in Philadelphia.”
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The bigger concern for D’Orazio, though, was having three consecutive half-days for report card conferences, three times a year.
“Just in pickup line, people are like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe we have to do this three days in a row.’ It’s hard for families just in general,” she said.
Parent Jamie Fox said so much time out of school for report card conferences was disruptive for kids.
“It’s just a lot of time to find other activities for the kids for working parents. And again, it throws them off of their schedule,” said Fox.
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A district representative said Zoom conferences were an alternative. Philadelphia Board of Education member Cecelia Thompson, who attended the virtual session, said daytime conferences – even if by Zoom – can be difficult to schedule.
“There are families, parents who work during the day. So the only time that they could come to a report card conference is in the evening,” Thompson said.
Parent Holly Sawyer agreed that daytime report card conferences remain inconvenient.
“If it is a Zoom option, that is a little better, but I’ve still got to figure out how I can squeeze that into a day that’s filled with other meetings,” Sawyer said.
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Some elements have to be included in the calendar, such as state-mandated holidays and professional development hours required by the teachers’ labor contract.
The school district has scheduled two more virtual feedback sessions for Wednesday. Nov. 16.
The school board in February is expected to vote on the calendars for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. The current calendar began on Aug. 29 and will end on June 13, 2023.