Thurston Chamber Supports Balanced School Calendar

The Thurston County Chamber Board of Trustees votes to support and endorse the adoption of a balanced calendar by the North Thurston Public Schools and encourages other school districts across the South Sound region to evaluate and consider adopting a similar academic calendar.

“Student success is community success,” according to David Schaffert, Thurston Chamber President and CEO, “The balanced calendar is an important step toward improving academic performance for all students across the region.”

A balanced calendar requires the district to change the 180-day school year so that the calendar is more evenly distributed across the 12-month calendar.

This “balanced calendar” would shorten the summer break and establish longer breaks in the fall, winter, and spring. Adopting a balanced calendar is not full-time school. It is a better use of the 180-days school year. “We support the improved efficiency and the improved student outcomes that it produces,” said Schaffert.

According to Michelle Wicket, Chair of the Chamber Board of Trustees, “School district performance and reputation enhance our region’s attraction to new investments, employers, employees, and families. Student success should be our top priority for our community.”

Compelling research provided by school districts shows that adopting a balanced calendar will improve overall academic performance for all students.

Improved academic performance is accomplished by eliminating learning loss associated with long summer breaks. More significantly, a balanced calendar appears to provide improved benefits for students from low-income families and communities that do not have access to private educational and enrichment activities. Often, these low-income families are also disproportionately comprised of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC).

The Thurston Chamber is confident that a balanced calendar will address student equity issues, create more equitable classroom experiences, and provide better overall student achievements for the community and workforce. The Thurston Chamber is confident that changing the academic calendar is the right thing to do to ensure all students succeed.

For more information on the Thurston Chamber’s endorsement for a balanced school calendar, please contact David Schaffert at (360) 357-3362 or by email at DSchaffert@thurstonchamber.com.