SALISBURY – School system officials this week approved a calendar for the 2023-2024 academic year that starts after Labor Day.
On Tuesday, the Wicomico County Board of Education voted unanimously to approve a post-Labor Day start to the 2023-2024 school year.
Board Chair Gene Malone noted that while an overwhelming majority of survey respondents supported an academic calendar starting Sept. 5 and ending June 13, several had submitted comments pertaining to other dates within the proposed calendar. Those comments, officials say, will be taken into consideration, and a revised post-Labor Day calendar would be presented to the board in February.
“We’re not trying to over-engineer the calendar for next year …,” Malone said. “It was an overwhelming response for a post-Labor Day start, but there were a lot of suggestions about other tweaks to the calendar. We have time, so we should look at it.”
In December, Kim Miles, assistant superintendent for student and family services, presented the school board with a pre-Labor Day and post-Labor Day draft school calendar for consideration. While both versions were similar, they proposed different start dates, end days and professional days.
In the pre-Labor Day calendar, the academic year began on Aug. 28 and ended on June 12. It also proposed a spring break from March 27-April 1 and three professional days in which students will be off.
In the post-Labor Day calendar, the academic year began Sept. 5 and ended on June 13. Spring break ran from March 28-April 1, and three professional days were considered early dismissal days for students.
“The Thanksgiving and winter breaks are the same on both drafts,” Miles told the board in December.
With approval from the school board, both calendars were posted on the school system’s website. An accompanying survey – available through Jan. 4 – asked respondents their preferred calendar choice.
“We had received a total of 2,258 responses, 1,901 in favor of a post-Labor Day start and 357 in favor of a pre-Labor Day start,” Miles told board members this week. “So it was quite a resounding support for a post-Labor Day start.”
She noted, however, that there were several comments pertaining to other dates within the post-Labor Day calendar. To that end, the school board voted to approve a post-Labor Day start, with the understanding public comments would be reflected in a revised calendar, which will be presented in February.
“Finding 180 days that’s going to satisfy everyone is a very difficult job to do,” said school board member Allen Brown told Miles. “But I really appreciate the fact that you have gone out and solicited input from families and the community.”
