2023-24 Calendar Survey (09/16/22)
Sept. 16, 2022 | West Des Moines Community Schools (WDMCS) reviews the school calendar each fall in preparation for the following school year. As part of this year’s process, we are asking WDMCS parents and staff to provide feedback. If any calendar changes occur, we hope to keep the same format for several years.
What is most important to you and your family? While we all would most likely say, “Start as late as you can and get done as early as you can,” we must abide by some specific requirements that impact a school year. Please carefully review each option and then submit your feedback by clicking here to complete the survey.
Iowa Department of Education School Calendar Requirements
- We are not allowed to start the school year before August 23.
- We must ensure we have at least 1,080 hours of instruction within a school year. This equals approximately 176 school days. WDMCS chooses to count hours instead of days to provide the most flexibility for potential severe weather conditions that may impact part or all of school days throughout the year.
Four Calendar Options to Consider
Option A: No changes to the calendar format.
We would roll forward our dates from the 2022-23 calendar year. This means we would start school on a Wednesday and our last day of school would most likely be in early June.
Option B: All students would be done with school before the Memorial Day weekend.
Friday, May 24, 2024 would most likely be the last day of school.
If this is most important to me, what changes may be made to the calendar?
- The first day of school would most likely be August 23 (or the date closest to August 23, if it falls on a weekend.) We would not start on a Wednesday each year.
- Winter break may be shorter.
- Some professional development days may move to earlier in August, which would decrease the number of single days throughout the year that students would be off of school.
Option C: Winter break would remain approximately two weeks.
If this is most important to me, what changes may be made to the calendar?
- The first day of school would most likely be August 23 (or the date closes to August 23 if it falls on a weekend.) We would not start on a Wednesday each year.
- Some professional development days may move to earlier in August, which would decrease the number of single days throughout the year that students would be off of school.
- Students would continue school past the Memorial Day weekend.
Option D: Fewer single days off throughout the school year due to staff professional development.
If this is most important to me, what changes may be made to the calendar?
- School could start on the first Wednesday after August 23. This would depend on whether the priority is to have students’ last day of school be before the Memorial Day weekend.
- School could end before the Memorial Day weekend, but we may need to start on a different day than a Wednesday.
- Staff may need to start their contract days earlier in August to complete some full-day professional development that would otherwise occur throughout the school year.
- Students would not have as many single days off throughout the year that would have been for staff professional development. Examples from the 2022-23 school year include days in October, November, January, February, and April.
Survey deadline: Friday, Sept. 30, 2022
