IPS Considers Changes To School Calendar

Indianapolis Public Schools board commissioners considered changes to the 2019-20 school calendar Tuesday night. 

The proposed changes would shorten fall break from two weeks to one week. The extra week would be added to summer break.

IPS Director of Special Projects Joe Gramelspacher says the district surveyed parents, administrators, teachers and students about their satisfaction with the current calendar.

The proposed calendar will balance the number of days in each semester, Gramelspacher says. 

"This also allowed us to achieve a significantly greater balance between the first semester of student attendance and instruction and second semester," Gramelspacher says. "Went from 89 days in semester one and 101 in semester two to 94:96 ratio between the two semesters."

Commissioner Kelly Bentley questioned a longer 8-week summer vacation. She said the district moved to a balanced calendar after research said students lose progress during a long summer break.

"A lot went into doing a balanced calendar because of the learning loss over the summer," Bentley says. "So it seems like we’re kind of backtracking on that."

Gramelspacher says some IPS school administrators find a two-week fall break interrupts students’ adjustments to the semester.

The commissioners will vote Thursday, Nov. 15 on whether to move forward with the updated calendar. They will also see presentations from five schools interested in becoming charter school partners with IPS.