OSD Citizens Advisory Committee: Balanced Calendar
The Olympia School District is part of a regional group, including some other Thurston County school districts, that is in the beginning stages of exploring the concept of a balanced calendar.
View results of the 2022 Student, Staff, Family and Community Balanced Calendar Survey.
Background
Effective in March 2022, the OSD Citizens Advisory Committee focused on balanced calendar will generally meet on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Anyone interested in participating on the CAC Committee is welcome. View the OSD one-page Balanced Calendar flyer.
The next meeting date on Zoom will be announced as soon as it is available.
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Meeting ID: 865 8146 3492
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Meeting ID: 865 8146 3492
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Frequently Asked Questions
View a list of frequently asked questions about balanced calendar. This webpage will be updated frequently, so please check back for updates. We also encourage you to email us questions you would like answered. Email your questions to [email protected]
View Frequently Asked Questions
Meeting Agendas and Summaries
The first OSD Citizens Advisory Committee meeting focused on balanced calendar was held in December 2021 (see past meeting agendas and summaries below).
What is a balanced calendar?
A balanced calendar would modify the traditional 180-day school calendar to keep the learning process continuous. Instead of a calendar dominated by a very long summer break, students would have more periodic, longer breaks throughout the school year and a shorter summer break. Students attending schools that follow a balanced calendar receive the same number of instructional days and hours as those who attend schools that follow a traditional calendar.
To learn more about the balanced calendar concept, visit the Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD) Balanced Calendar Initiative website. The AESD is one of several statewide organizations partnering with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) on a Balanced Calendar initiative.
Committee Meetings
Research
Examples of balanced calendars in other school districts
The following are some examples of balanced calendars implemented by other school districts across the country. These illustrate possible balanced calendar structures. At this time, OSD is only exploring the concept of a balanced calendar and has not considered any possible start, end or intersession school calendar dates.
Other resources
Media