Anchorage parents were caught off guard Tuesday when the school board voted to move the fall start date up by almost a week. The board voted unanimously for the change.
The new teacher contract signed in January called for adding three days to the school calendar to allow for more canceled school days due to weather.
Board member Kelly Lessens said the board has received many emails from parents and educators who said the new start dates conflict with already-planned travel, summer camp and visiting relatives.
Lessens said the revised schedule was created by a committee with officials from various district departments and the teachers union.
“I really leaned on the unanimous work of the calendar committee and my understanding that the administration needed a decision as soon as possible so that it could prepare for the next school year,” she said.
Lessens said the proposed calendar was technically available to the public after it was presented, along with a memo, at a mid-March school board meeting, but she acknowledged it wasn’t easy to find.
The Anchorage School District often sends out notices about opportunities for testimony on big changes within the district. The district doesn’t appear to have done that based on a review of recent communications. The district did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the memo, the committee weighed many factors when deciding on the new calendar, including election days, the semester schedule and the ability to schedule makeup days.
The previous calendar had school starting on Aug. 19 and 20, depending on the grade. Now the first days of school are Aug. 13 and 14.
