U-46 eliminates year-round calendar to cut costs

Jamie Cisco usually feels she's up to date with what's going on at Channing Elementary.

The Streamwood mom volunteers twice a week at the school, where her son, Ben, and daughter, Grace, attend the dual language magnet program. She updates the PTO Web site twice each month, and attends school's frequent parent nights.

Still, Tuesday afternoon, Cisco says a bomb got dropped on her lap.

Elgin Area Unit District U-46 District officials announced to parents via e-mail and phone messages that it will be moving its three continuous learning calendar elementary schools in Elgin - Channing, Sheridan, and Garfield - to a traditional calendar next school year.

The decision. officials say, was made to cuts costs at the schools which, since 1999, have operated on an alternative calendar featuring more frequent, shorter breaks and an academic year starting in late July and ending in June.

The move is expected to save at least $200,000, district spokesman Tony Sanders said.

"I'm not happy. I'm not happy at all," Cisco said. "I don't understand how they can change the calendar without consulting the parents. I heard nothing until this message five minutes ago. Nothing from the school, nothing from the teachers."

Earlier this fall, U-46 Chief Financial Officer Ron Ally told school board members the district projects to be in a $53.5 million deficit come June. Since then, officials have been examining "anything to reduce costs in light of the deficits."

On Nov. 2, the district announced $4.9 million in cuts - including to athletic programs, stipends and supply budgets.

Like at Channing, no parent meetings or information sessions were held at Garfield or Sheridan, Sanders said.

Cisco said she prefers the continuous learning calendar because shorter summer breaks mean her children spend less time reviewing what was learned the prior year.

"The kids are a lot less stressed out. There's more frequency in their breaks," she said.

According to the district, Channing, Sheridan and Garfield will continue on their current calendars until mid-June, when they will break for summer vacation. In August, the schools will begin operating on a traditional nine-month calendar.

Sanders said the move was announced now to give families and staff as much time as possible to prepare for the change.

Still, more questions than answers remained for some parents Tuesday.

"Have they looked at the test scores?" asked Bella Curtis, who has two children at Channing "I would hope they looked at academic performance, at all these factors. I'm just not confident that that's what they do."