PEORIA, Ill — Peoria Public Schools will not move to a modified learning calendar just yet as school board members elected to table a decision on the matter during a key meeting Monday.
Superintendent Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat has pushed hard for Peoria schools to effectively shorten the traditional summer break and lengthen the traditional fall and spring breaks.
The plan calls for summer break to be reduced by ten days and for spring and fall breaks to be extended by five days each.
Dr. Kherat says any concern about how this schedule change might disrupt families’ traditional learning and lifestyle routines is misguided.
“We’ll literally provide intervention and academic support (for the first five days of the fall and spring breaks),” said Kherat. “So, there won’t be a need to seek child care, because the children will be coming to school, if parents choose that option, for intervention and accelleration.”
Kherat says in other words, if that option is chosen, the break is only five days and not ten.
She says six years worth of research has proven the modified calendar will be great for both students and teachers, giving them good rest and lessening a need to re-teach things from the previous school year.
However, school board members appeared to be moved by some members of the public who offered their feedback Monday night.
Richwoods High School junior Anthony Joseph pointed out how making the change would put Peoria students on a different schedule than their peers in other nearby school districts.
“When schools are on different time tables it’s more difficult to schedule school athletics and many older students often look forward to summer jobs.”
He added that it would also make things more difficult for students who wish to advance themselves by taking advanced placement exams as those assessements typically adhere to more rigid annual testing schedules which match the current traditional school year.
Dr. Kherat insists that every school district she’s researched has seen positive outcomes from making the change.
The modified calendar was tried in a pilot program at Harrison School, and administrators said it was a succcess.
It’s not clear how soon PPS board members might consider the schedule change again.
