Schools

Pasco County Students Get Back to the Books

School Board chairwoman Joanne Hurley says a lot goes into determining the county's school calendar, which included an extended holiday break.

After settling in for a long winter's break, Pasco County schoolchildren are all snug in their classrooms again.

School resumed Tuesday for Pasco students, and some parents were more than ready.

"I actually drove my son to school yesterday (Monday) — wishful thinking/forgot it was a teacher in-service day," Steve Domonkos wrote on Land O' Lakes Patch's Facebook page. "I however got him to the bus today just fine and he was happy to go, too."

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In a , we asked readers how they felt about Pasco County's long holiday break. In a poll, 56 percent of respondents said the break was, in fact, not long enough.

Still, the timing of the break was questioned by some readers.

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"On the length of Pasco schools' winter break, I do not think it is too long. I enjoy every second with my children. I do however feel the break could be structured differently giving more days off before Christmas in order to allow time for travel. The time after the New Year has begun is wasted as most parents need to return to work. So, to spell it out to the School Board, more days off before Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and less time off after New Year's Day," reader commented.

"Personally I like the break—with all of the rushing around before Christmas it is nice to have the down time afterwards. However, I wouldn't oppose to having a whole week at Thanksgiving and going back a few days early this week,"

A calendar committee meets each spring to come up with the following year's schedule, Pasco County School Board chairwoman Joanne Hurley said.

"They do a great deal of research for that," Hurley said.

The school board then votes on the proposed school calendar.

Though the calendar will vary from year-to-year, Hurley said the committee and the board have to take several things into consideration: State requirements, student achievement, parental concerns and what's best for school staffs.

The state requires that the number of school days on either side of the winter break are equal, and school cannot start earlier than 14 days before Labor Day, Hurley said.

The board also has to work around mandatory testing dates, Hurley said.

Most Pasco County students were able to take exams before the winter break, so they are starting fresh this week, she said.

The calendar committee will be meeting for the 2012-13 school year soon, and parent input is always welcome and considered, Hurley said.


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