Press Release #24/2018-19
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 22, 2019
Contact: David Mustonen, Communications Director
(313) 827-3006 MustonD@dearbornschools.org
2019-2020 Dearborn Schools calendar now available
With winter break over, many families are starting to dream of warm weather and summer vacation. Dearborn Public Schools is releasing next year’s calendar to assist with that vacation planning.
Again next school year, class will resume in August on the Monday before Labor Day, and students and staff will have both Friday and Monday off for a long Labor Day weekend. Schools will be closed for two weeks over the winter holidays, a full week in February for mid-winter break, and six school days for spring break over Easter in April. Eid al-Fitr will also be days off, but that happens to coincide with Memorial Day weekend in 2020, which was already four days off for the district.
Many factors go into determining the school calendar including a state requirement for 180 days of school, a countywide common calendar, community needs, and professional development obligations. The administration and the Dearborn Federation of Teachers spend many hours working together on the various details that need to be considered before a final calendar is approved.
The 2019-2020 calendar is only the second time the Dearborn Public Schools has had to follow a change in state law requiring schools to provide 180 days of instruction. That change added five days for the current school year. Another state law requires that school start after Labor Day, but in recent years districts have been allowed to request a waiver to start earlier. Next year will be the second time since 2006 Dearborn Schools has started before Labor Day.
For Dearborn Public Schools, starting earlier allows schools to continue to get out in mid-June, hopefully before the weather turns too hot. Many of the district’s buildings are not air-conditioned. The last day of class next school year will be Friday, June 12, 2020.
The county common calendar sets the dates for winter break, spring break, Good Friday, and Presidents Day. The school calendar also must also reflect the needs of the local community, which for Dearborn means days off around the Eid holidays. Districts lose state funding if attendance falls below 75 percent at any building.
While next year’s calendar includes a full week off in February, that break may be shortened some years depending on other needs in the calendar. For the current school year, that break is a four-day weekend over Presidents Day.
The 2019-2020 district calendar once again includes late start dates that will be used for professional development and school improvement planning. The late starts dates have been extremely helpful in providing teachers and principals with time to meet, collaborate with colleagues, work on school improvement goals, and improve student instruction. The first of the seven late start dates will occur on Wednesday, September 25, and will continue on various Wednesdays throughout the year.
The 2019-2020 calendar is be posted on the district’s website and can be accessed by visiting https://dearbornschools.org/district/district-calendars. Visitors will be able to download a PDF version or view an online calendar. Parents are reminded to check with their child’s school for important events and activities unique to their school and not appearing on the district calendar.
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