The 2013-2014 year may start in mid-August this time around, as the major stakeholders in the district begin to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of starting earlier.
Benefits for changing the school year calendar include: aligning the school year to better prepare students for AP and state testing in May, reducing idle time after all testing is complete and leaving abundant time for fall season athletic teams to practice over the summer and compete during school. With the current system, the school year starts sometime in early September, and sports teams often begin their seasons before school even begins.
“This has been a two year battle for me. I’ve been on this bandwagon for a couple of years now, trying to get it moving,” Principal Ms. Mary Jo Fosselman-King said. “It’s interesting because I wrote up a big paper and did all this rationale last year, and it didn’t work. But I gave it to South Pasadena and Glendora, and they actually moved their calendar up.”
The perks in starting and ending the year earlier are favorable for high school students and teachers, but most of them are not applicable for elementary students. Because of this inconsistency, the Temple City Education Association, also known as the Teacher’s Union, is hesitant to agree with the change. However, the school district administrators are in favor of the change, and for the year to start earlier, a compromise and full agreement must come from all stakeholders.
“I personally understand both sides of this argument. I’m an AP teacher and my students would benefit from an additional week of instruction,” TCEA Union Representative Mr. Ryan Lauterbach said. “But I also have a six year old daughter, and I wouldn’t want her to be stuck inside her classroom all day because she started school during the middle of August in 105 degree weather.”
Mr. Lauterbach is awesome, I love him!