School board is split on spring break

Giving students at Tri-City United Schools a five-day spring break next year split the opinions of school board members at its meeting on Monday, March 13.

Superintendent Teri Preisler presented the board with two school calendar options for next year for approval. She said because Labor Day starts early next year (September 4) the calendar creates an anomaly which could allow a five-day spring break and still allow an early final day of school.

However, Preisler pointed out, giving students and staff a true spring break would affect other calendar items, namely makeup days (snow days) and other breaks. She presented the board with two calendar options: Calendar A would include a spring break from Monday, March 26 to Friday, March 30 in 2018. Calendar B, which is similar to this year’s school calendar, builds a three-day break from school around the last weekend in March.

The board discussed the pros and cons of each calendar. Preisler said the spring break calendar (A) only allows one makeup day (President’s Day), and 30 full (five-day) school weeks. It also places the last day of school on May 31 and graduation on June 1, 2018.

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