School Holiday Hoopla

On the heels of middle school conferences and an elementary staff in-service last Friday, thousands of Evanston-Skokie District 65 students were off from school yesterday in observance of Presidents' Day.  And, they would’ve been home last Thursday too were it not for a waiver that allows us to take this holiday in lieu of Lincoln’s Birthday.

But, this is the only state or federal mandated holiday that Evanston schools don’t avail themselves of despite a growing trend in the opposite direction.  In fact, according to an Illinois State Board of Education report, there has been such a significant increase in the number of districts requesting permission (otherwise known as a “modification” or “waiver”) to hold class on certain holidays that they feel the Illinois General Assembly should take action to make it easier.

Fortunately, thanks to a recommendation of the D65 Calendar Committee, we are poised to join this group of forward-thinking districts who want children in school, and learning, as much as possible.  Under consideration is a proposal to seek a holiday waiver for Columbus Day.  Although it wouldn’t actually increase the number of overall attendance days in the 2009-2010 calendar (since it would be “swapped” with the day before Thanksgiving), it would mean one less interrupted week at the crucial start of a new school year.  This would be a good thing for students and, notes a New York Times article, a welcome relief for working parents since Columbus Day is the major holiday least likely to be granted by employers:  only about 1 in 10 companies close that day according to Society for Human Resource Management surveys.   

The D65 School Board has given the administration the go-ahead to apply for the Columbus Day waiver and, as a first step, will hold a public hearing on Monday, March 3^rd at 7:00 p.m. to solicit community feedback. The D65 Educators' Council (aka teachers' union) has already expressed its opposition on the grounds that its members and our children deserve a break. But, I’d have to argue that there is plenty of time for everyone to get a little R&R in a school year that is a mere 180 days long - many of which aren’t even full days of instruction - and already shorter than several of our neighboring districts.

While a holiday waiver won’t solve some of these longer-term education challenges, it would be another important step toward creating a school calendar that is more in line with the needs of today’s families and economy.  And, for that reason alone, I believe it deserves our support.