In The News

JEFFCO SCHOOLS TO START A FEW WEEKS LATER IN 2009

LAKEWOOD – The superintendent of Colorado's largest school district is pushing back the start of the next fall semester. Superintendent Dr. Cindy Stevenson made the change after parents complained of losing their summers. The Jeffco School Board voted Thursday night to approve a start date of Aug. 24 for classes. That is about two weeks later than this year.

Posted by: JEFFREY WOLF, 9News.com
Read more October 17, 2008

JEFFCO SCHOOL BOARD TALKS ABOUT CALENDAR TONIGHT

GOLDEN — A revised calendar for the 2009-10 school year that calls for classes to start 11 days later than initially planned will be considered tonight by the Jefferson County Board of Education. The changes were developed after a number of parents expressed concern about this year's start date of Aug. 12.

But the revision won't mean school will start after Labor Day as some had hoped.

Written by: ANN SCHRADER,The Denver Post
Read more October 16, 2008

DPS ADJUSTS SCHOOL CALENDAR OVER PARENT OBJECTIONS

DENVER - Students in the Denver Public School District will have five "late-start" days this year to provide teachers with planning and development time agreed to in recent contract talks. The Denver Public School Board of Education approved a revised calendar for the current school year Thursday night. Several parents spoke in opposition to the plan, saying it presents a hardship for working parents. "It shows a lack of respect for the working families of this district," said parent Josh Weiss.

Written by: KYLE CLARK, 9News.com
Read more September 18, 2008

LONGER SUMMER SOUGHT IN JEFFCO

The first day of school for most Jefferson County students came too early for some parents and they want their summers back. Most students trooped back to the classroom Aug. 12, earlier than many other metro schools. Aurora Public Schools had the earliest start — Aug. 5. As complaints poured in, three women created a website, savecoloradosummers.com, which proclaims, "School is cool . . . but not in August." In less than a month, about 1,700 parents across the state have signed the online petition seeking later start dates. "We definitely have struck a chord," said Eileen Schoenberger, one of the website creators.

Written by: ANN SCHRADER, The Denver Post
Read more September 15, 2008

JEFFCO SCHOOLS TURNS TO PARENTS TO DECIDE LENGTH OF SUMMER

LAKEWOOD – Superintendent Dr. Cindy Stevenson knows she can't make everyone happy. But, she wants to hear from everyone nonetheless over the start of fall semester next year.

"I hope lot of people respond and I hope they do feel like we care," said Stevenson, superintendent of Jeffco Schools, the largest district in Colorado. "I just can't promise everybody will get their needs met."

Friday, the district posted an online survey on its website asking parents five questions including which breaks should be shortened or eliminated so summer can last longer. The survey will close on September 26th.

Written by: NELSON GARCIA, 9News.com
Read more September 13, 2008

PARENTS START WEB SITE HOPING TO SAVE SUMMER

JEFFERSON COUNTY – When Eileen Schoenberger, Carol Meitzer and Kristi Sagrillo started to voice their frustrations over fall semester starting on Aug. 12, they decided to give the community a place to fight the district.
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"We felt that we were trying to find a central place where we could send information out to them," said Schoenberger, a parent in JeffCo Schools.

The three moms started a Web site: www.savecoloradosummers.com. It's a grass-roots campaign that started in mid-August with an e-mail to about 40 other parents. They say that in less than three weeks, the site has gathered more than 1,000 signatures on an online petition asking the JeffCo district to push the start of classes back.

Written by: NELSON GARCIA, 9News.com
Read more September 3, 2008

PARENTS MAD OVER SCHOOL CALENDAR
PETITION STARTED IN JEFFCO OVER DISAGREEMENT

JEFFERSON COUNTY – The moaning and groaning accompanying students realizing their summer is over has taken a backseat to Jeffco parents fighting to make a longer break between school years for their children.

Parents who said the school year begins too early have written Jeffco schools' superintendent Cindy Stevenson, put together a petition and started a Web site to express their angst.

Written by: RYAN PARKER, MikeHighNews.com
Read more August 27, 2008

 

JEFFCO STUDENTS GO BACK TO SCHOOL EARLY NEXT YEAR, PARENTS UPSET

LAKEWOOD – When Jon Hume looks at his calendar to plan special family trips with his wife and two children, he says summer break is short enough already. He says he was surprised to find out it will be 10 days shorter this year than last year. I just kind of got sideswiped by the deal," said Hume, a parent of a student at Rooney Ranch Elementary in Lakewood. "When we start school a week earlier, it cuts into that time."Jefferson County students will start school on Aug. 12. Last year, classes began on Aug. 22. Superintendent Dr. Cindy Stevenson says a committee of parents and staff decided to move the start date to make sure high schoolers can take finals before winter vacation while providing a much needed fall mini-break on Oct. 23 and 24...

Written by: NELSON GARCIA, 9News.com
Read more May 2008

SCHOOL STARTS TOO EARLY

The Jefferson County 2008-2009 school calendar is out. Students report to school earlier than ever this year, on Aug. 12. So, why is it that when I talk to other parents and even some teachers, everyone seems to agree that the summer break should end somewhere closer to the end of August, if not the beginning of September?

A couple of years ago I took the time to attend a school board meeting in protest of the early August start dates. We were informed that the school year is on a multiyear cycle and that nothing could be done to change it until the cycle was up. Well, the cycle is up and we’re starting earlier than ever.

By COHEN PEART, DenverPost.com
Read more February 14, 2008

PARENTS CAMPAIGN TO TAKE BACK KIDS' SUMMERS

MIAMI -- The pressures of federally mandated exams have pushed public schools here and in several other states to begin classes weeks earlier than usual to squeeze in more days of instruction before the critical tests, sometimes striking August entirely from vacation calendars and devoting the month, traditionally left open for childhood leisure, to class time.

But a widespread backlash, led by disgruntled parents organized into loosely affiliated Save Our Summers groups across the country, is underway.

By PETER WHORISKEY, Washington Post Staff Writer
Read more January 22, 2006

DO SCHOOL YEARS START TOO SOON?

Dan Gelber sees a time in the not too distant future when every Florida school district will begin classes in July.

Pressure to do well on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is pitting districts against each other, creating a never-ending game of one-upmanship, says Gelber, a state representative from Miami Beach. The result is a school year that keeps starting earlier and earlier.

So Gelber, a Democrat, is sponsoring a bill that would forbid schools from opening their doors any earlier than a week before Labor Day, the traditional end of summer vacation

By DONNA WINCHESTER
Read more January 11, 2006