Portland Public Schools, and a Calendar Built For Adults

4 min read

When talking about school and learning, scheduling and routines are frequently overlooked. A level of stability and predictability can be helpful for both kids and their families. This year, the Portland Public Schools calendar shows how not to build a schedule.

At the outset, I want to highlight that the issues with the calendar have been co-created by the district and the union - much of the choppiness in this calendar are the result of the district meeting requirements in the union contract. But both the district and the union need to come together to fix this.

Right now, we have a calendar that works for adults, but not for kids and their families.

You can verify my tallies against the PPS Calendar.

Week 1: Start Thursday, Aug 27th. 2 days.
Week 2: Aug 31 to Sept 4. Full week
Week 3: Sept 8 to Sept 11. 4 days (Labor Day)
Week 4: Sept 14 to 18. 4.5 days; late start on Wednesday.
Week 5: Sept 21 to 25. Full week
Week 6: Sept 28 to Oct 2nd: Full week
Week 7: Oct 5 to Oct 8. 4 days
Week 8: Oct 12 to 16. 4.5 days; late start on Wednesday.
Week 9: Oct 19-20. 2 days. Conferences for three days.
Week 10: Oct 26-29. 4 days.
Week 11: Nov 2 to 6. Full week.
Week 12: Nov 9 to 13. 4 days. Veterans Day.
Week 13: Nov 16 to 20. Full week.
Week 14: Nov 23 to 25. 3 days. Thanksgiving.
Week 15: Nov 30 to Dec 4. Full week.
Week 16: Dec 7 to Dec 11. Full week.
Week 17: Dec 14 to 18. 4.5 days; late start on Wednesday.
Week 18: Jan 6 to 8. 3 days (snow days).
Week 19: Jan 11 to 15. Full week.
Week 20: Jan 19 to Jan 22. 3.5 days; late start on Wednesday and MLK holiday.
Week 21: Jan 26 to 29. 4 days.
Week 22: Feb 1 to 5. Full week.
Week 23: Feb 8 to 11. Full week.
Week 24: Feb 16 to 19. 3.5 days; late start on Wednesday and President's Day holiday.
Week 25: Feb 22 to 26. Full week.
Week 26. Feb 29 to Mar 4. Full week.
Week 27: Mar 7 to 11. Full week.
Week 28: Mar 14 to 18. 4.5 days; late start on Wednesday.
March 21: Spring Break.

In the first 14 weeks - from the start of school to Thanksgiving - PPS students have only 5 complete (aka full) weeks of school, and only two consecutive full weeks. Of the remaining 9 weeks, three of the weeks have three days or less, with the remaining 6 weeks being fractured by holidays and/or late starts. The late starts are especially disruptive - and the burden lands heaviest on working families with younger kids, because these families need to find childcare and transportation to get their kids to school. Anecdotally, late starts are also a culprit in increased absenteeism.

Between Thanksgiving and the winter holiday (also known as peak cold and flu season) we manage to string together two consecutive full weeks. But, as anyone who has worked in a school will tell you, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Winter break can be difficult to do detailed work because they are sandwiched between two significant vacations. Additionally, as anyone who has worked in schools can attest, the week before an extended vacation can be more hectic than usual for a variety of reasons.

In January, the choppiness returns in force, with one full week of school in the entire month.

In February - the 22nd week of the school year - we are finally ready to actually get down to school, with 5 out of 6 weeks being full weeks. For a lot of kids, this is too little, too late. The time when they need this consistency the most is at the beginning of the school year. By February, patterns have been established, and relationships have been formed. While the schedule at PPS probably meets the legal requirements for seat time and calendar days, it would be wonderful to see PPS and the teacher's union come together to put together a calendar that actually works for kids and families.