Frequently Asked Questions
What is the status of the transition from year-round calendars to a common calendar for all schools?
The transition of remaining schools on year-round schedules is on hold; year-round schools in the Crawford, Hoover, and San Diego Clusters, along with the TRACE and Adult Learning Program, will remain on year-round schedules for the foreseeable future.
Collective Bargaining Agreements with all of the district’s represented employees include language regarding representation on an Instructional Calendar Committee. Representatives of the district’s advisory groups are included to ensure a balanced discussion between district staff and parents/community members.
Each stakeholder group uses its own method of selecting representatives. Names of reps are then forwarded to the Calendar Committee facilitator.
This advisory Committee makes a recommendation to the Superintendent as to the start date of the instructional calendar for one or two upcoming school years. The Superintendent may accept the Committee’s recommendation and forward it to the Board of Education for approval, or may make her own recommendation to the Board. The Board may approve or reject the Superintendent’s recommendation.
Yes. For the 2018-19 school year, the Board voted on July 25, 2017 to accept the Superintendent’s recommendation that school begin on August 27, 2018. For the 2019-20 school year, the Board voted on June 26, 2018 to accept the Superintendent’s recommendation that school begin on August 26, 2019. Approved calendars are posted on the district website at https://www.sandiegounified.org/academic-calendars
Many topics were included in the discussion, a sample of which are below (in no particular order):
- CIF/Athletics season start dates
- Community College start dates
- AP testing dates
- SAT testing dates
- FAFSA deadlines
- Summer School (General Ed)
- Extended School Year (Special Ed)
- Air conditioning installation schedule
- San Diego weather conditions
- Absenteeism during first five days of school
- Effect of start date on elementary student learning
The Instructional Calendar Committee will reconvene in 2018-19 to review its recommendation to the Superintendent about the start date for the 2020-21 school year.
Unless the Calendar Committee and Superintendent recommend doing so, the district has no plans to start school earlier in the summer. Note that while some schools are still on year-round schedules and don’t finish until the third week of July, it would not even be possible to consider an early to mid-August start date.
It was the recommendation of the Calendar Committee and the Superintendent to align San Diego Unified’s calendar with districts state-wide and county-wide. San Diego Unified is still the latest start district in San Diego County.
Yes, if that is the Calendar Committee’s recommendation, the Superintendent’s recommendation, and the vote of the Board.
It is the responsibility of each group represented on the Calendar Committee to share information with their stakeholders in order to make an informed recommendation. Some use e-mail, some conduct surveys, some defer to their rep to act on behalf of their constituents, etc.
This advisory Committee makes a recommendation to the Superintendent as to the start date of the instructional calendar for one or two upcoming school years.
The Superintendent may accept the Committee’s recommendation and forward it to the Board of Education for approval, or may make her own recommendation to the Board. The Board may approve or reject the Superintendent’s recommendation.