PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — School bells in Philadelphia would ring before Labor Day for the next two years, under the district’s latest calendar proposal.
Starting classes in August gives the district greater flexibility to offer more cultural and religious holidays and longer winter and spring breaks. And, that’s the preference of most parents and staff who were surveyed, according to Assistant Superintendent Shakeera Warthen-Canty.
“They wanted to be able to honor holidays from various cultures and religious backgrounds,” Warthen-Caty said.
In preparing its calendars for the next two academic years, the district surveyed 16,000 parents, students and staff. Overall, 55% preferred calendars that would start the school year on Aug. 25, 2025, and Aug. 24, 2026, respectively. Having to close schools because of hot weather before Labor Day wasn’t a major consideration, Warthen-Canty said.
“In the ’23-’24 school year, we did start after Labor Day,” she noted, “and we still had to close four days due to heat.”
Survey respondents also wanted Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Veterans Day restored as days off, said Emily Fulks, the district’s director of strategic operations.
“Those two days are really high-priority days off for our community,” she said. “We heard really loud and clear — as well as throughout the year and on those days this year — that folks really want that time to celebrate with family [and] observe their own cultural traditions around Indigenous Peoples’ Day, especially.
“A large portion of Asian and Asian American parents and guardians, Black/ African American respondents, and Latinx parents and guardians actually voted for calendars that elevated more cultural and religious holidays and started before Labor Day,” she continued.
The proposed calendars include 181 instructional days for students and 188 work days for teachers. The Pennsylvania Department of Education mandates 180 instructional days for students each year.
The Philadelphia Board of Education will vote on the calendars at its Feb. 27 meeting.