District 220 considers changing school day, year

School days and school years in Barrington Unit District 220 could be scheduled much differently in the future depending on the outcome of discussions only just beginning.

As part of its 2020 strategic plan, the district is looking at ways of using time more effectively in the instruction of students.

The four basic ideas being explored are offering full-day kindergarten; changing the start and end times of the school day; extending the school day or school year; and starting the year earlier to realign the calendar.

Grove Avenue School Principal Cynthia Kalogeropoulos and Roslyn Road School Principal Paul Kirk recently appeared before the board of education with a rundown of the pros and cons of all these ideas.

The reasons for the different ideas are varied:

Ÿ Some research suggests high school students would fare better with later daily start times.

Ÿ But earlier start times give younger students more recreation time after school.

Ÿ Starting the school year earlier would allow high school students to complete the fall semester and finals before winter break.

Ÿ All-day kindergarten could provide both a richer learning experience for younger students and a better fit family scheduling needs.

The board will continue the discussion at its Nov. 15 meeting.

While there's often a resistance to change, the ideas presented are well worth discussing, board President Brian Battle said.

Impacts on families and teachers also have to be considered, Battle said, noting that there would be both financial and cultural consequences to any changes.

That's why the discussion is beginning now, with the idea that any proposal with strong support might be talked about during negotiations of the next teachers contract in 2012, Battle said.

A parent satisfaction survey during the winter will measure interest in possible schedule changes.

Battle said he's already heard comments from parents interested in all-day kindergarten and starting the school year earlier.

“In all the ideas I see some merit and some unintended consequences,” Battle said. “The next step is an honest conversation among board members as to how they react to this.”