Thurston Chamber Supports Balanced School Calendar

by David Schaffert, President/CEO, Thurston County Chamber and Doug Mah, Doug Mah & Associates, Thurston Chamber Public Policy Director

The Thurston Chamber is no stranger to advancing initiatives that support high-quality public-school systems and student success. Our engagement in regional education and workforce development are integral components of the Chamber’s mission. In addition, the Thurston Chamber Foundation invests and supports youth programs such as “Find your Future”, “Math for Life”, and “Business to Youth Connect” and further establish the link between student success and commerce.

Student success is community success. The region’s K-12 system is an integral part of our community. School district performance and reputation enhance our region’s attraction to new investments, employers, and families. At the core of student success is ensuring that all students are prepared to learn and can retain and apply what they have learned in the classroom and in the community. Student learning matters.

For these and many other reasons, the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce Board of Trustees voted to support and endorse the adoption of a balanced calendar by the North Thurston Public Schools and encourage other school districts across the South Sound region to evaluate and consider adopting a similar academic calendar.

A balanced calendar requires the district to shift 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 this improved efficiency.

The Thurston Chamber believes research that shows adopting a balanced calendar will improve overall academic performance for all students by eliminating learning loss associated with long summer breaks. More significant, 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. We support eliminating student learning loss.

We are 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. We support addressing equity within out school systems. A balanced calendar is good for the community.

Adopting a balanced calendar will require bold and strong community agreement on the importance of success for all students. The Thurston Chamber is confident that changing the academic calendar is the right thing to do to ensure all students succeed and that the time to make this change is today. Please join the Thurston Chamber in our support and endorsement to adopt a balanced calendar.

To address the overall learning loss among students, school districts, including the North Thurston Public Schools and Olympia School District, are considering changing 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. In districts that have adopted a balanced calendar, the summer break continues to be the longest break.

Research and experience in districts that adopted a balanced calendar show improved academic success for students; reduced summer learning loss; and provided more school/life balance over the year for staff, families, and students. In many examples, the balanced calendar offers new learning opportunities for students and staff with more breaks throughout the year.

Local adoption of a balanced calendar will improve overall academic performance for students and appears to provide significant 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). Adopting a balanced calendar will address student equity issues; create more equitable classroom experience; and provide better overall student achievements for the community and workforce.

It is anticipated that the North Thurston Public School Board will decide to adopt or reject a balanced calendar in May 2022. If the Board of Directors votes to adopt a balanced calendar the district will begin work to implement the new calendar in 2023.