Parents and teachers in Detroit’s main district were united in their dislike of shortened Wednesdays.
For years, K-8 schools in the district dismissed students an hour early on Wednesdays so teachers could attend staff meetings or teacher training. Teachers had to adjust to shorter classes, while parents were forced to pick up their children in the middle of the workday.
No longer. Wednesdays are back to normal in the academic calendar proposed for the coming year in the Detroit Public Schools Community District. The meetings that previously took place on those days have been moved to the last days of August and sprinkled throughout the year as full days without school. Classes are set to begin on Sept. 4.
At an academic sub-committee meeting last week, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said he was recommending the calendar changes after receiving negative feedback from educators and parents. The full school board is scheduled to vote on the calendar at its meeting Aug. 14.
University Preparatory Academies, the city’s largest charter school network, already sets aside full days for teacher training. Other prominent charter schools, like Detroit Edison Public School Academy, schedule teacher training on early release days.
Although the calendar was up for approval around the same time last year, some have wondered if it is coming too late for parents and teachers who rely on its contents to plan their lives.
Scroll down to see the full 2018-2019 academic calendar.