We, the undersigned, call on the the Cherry Creek School District Board of Education and the leadership of CCSD to find alternatives to starting school in early August of the 2016-17 calendar and subsequent years.  In years to come, due to the fluctuating date of the Memorial Day holiday, the start date for school will continue to get earlier.  By 2019, CCSD calendars will begin on August 8th.  That is too early.  We request that the start day of school be set no earlier than the 21st of August, while still ending the first semester before the winter break.  Administering semester exams before the winter break is important to the high school community.  However, because our school district has flexibility in scheduling instructional time, Cherry Creek Schools can still accomplish this without changing the school calendar and starting classes in early August. 

In order to achieve a later start for the school year, we request that the Cherry Creek School District Board of Education discontinue the unnecessary fall break.  We have mandated, federal holidays and non-contact days that provide sufficient time off.  The CCSD calendar would start classes in late August and end by Memorial Day.  This would insure necessary time for valuable summer academic programs, while still giving students time to wind down and re-energize before school starts.  Keeping August as a part of our summer, insures that students and staff have ample opportunity to engage in important seasonal activities such as family time, summer camps, athletic programs, summer jobs and critical play / down time before the new school year. Limited school funds will not be spent cooling schools and administrative buildings during the hottest time of the year.  These funds would be better spent in the classroom on critical elements such as reducing class sizes, supporting teacher development and advancing student achievement.

Major Reasons to Support School Start No Earlier than August 21st & Discontinue Fall Break

*Maintain High School final exams before the winter break.  The CCSD has flexibility in scheduling instructional time and can accomplish this without changing the calendar and bringing students back to school in early August.

*National Alignment.  Align district calendar with school and college calendars, nationwide. Very few school districts in the U.S. have fall breaks, due to the number of days off in November and December.  Most universities start school in late August or after Labor Day and end before Memorial Day and have no fall break.

*Colorado Alignment.  Sports clubs throughout the state do not recognize the fall break due to districts having different calendars.  Participants in these programs are still required to attend games and sporting activities during the fall break limiting time students and families are able to travel.

*Instructional Advantages.  Valuable instructional time is lost in the days preceding and following each break in the school calendar. When their routine is disrupted, children require time to readjust. A trim school calendar provides continuity. We have mandated federal holidays and district issued non-contact days for conferences that provide sufficient days off.

*Spend Taxpayer dollars wisely.  Multiple research studies have shown that public school systems will save HUGE $$ annually on utility costs by embracing later start dates. Average Arapahoe County temperatures in August are 86 degrees. By September, average temperatures drop significantly to 77 degrees. Limited school funds should not be spent on cooling schools and administrative buildings during the hottest time of the year. A later August start date allows this money to be better spent in the classroom on critical elements such as reducing class sizes, supporting teacher development, and advancing student achievement. 

*Summer Preservation.  August is one of the hottest months of the year in Colorado.  With little precipitation and warm temperatures, children are able to be active outside and should not be kept indoors. A longer summer insures that students and staff have ample opportunity to engage in important seasonal activities such as family time, summer camps, athletic programs, summer jobs and critical play / down time before the new school year.

 *Protect Our Children. The heat index in August hovers around 90 degrees. School buses are not air conditioned and playground equipment is hot enough to burn skin. For athletes, initial football, soccer and other "fall" sport practices are often forced to begin in mid July and early August.

*Support Our Teachers.  Teaching is not a high-paying profession. Many educators depend on summer jobs to make ends meet.  Teachers will not be able to work summer jobs in the private sector, including summer camps.  They will be required to report back to work during the first week of August and will miss an entire month of the summer employment season.

*Summer Jobs for students. Employers are more likely to hire high school students when they are able to commit to a full season. Having a job over the summer is not only an important learning experience for teenagers, but studies show that students who hold jobs in the summer months are more likely to have better paying jobs after college. For many students, money earned from summer employment can make the difference in being able to go to college or buy clothes and supplies for the next school year.

*Consistent, lower-cost care for kids. Daycare expenses place a heavy burden on family budgets and most families are not able to take advantage of both a fall and spring vacation.  Daycare providers and parents know that finding or providing childcare for single days scattered throughout the school year is much more expensive than the week or month-long programs available during the summer.

*Coordinating summer vacation. Parents with extended family out-of-state find coordinating vacation extremely difficult when school starts in early August. August is the traditional vacation month in many parts of the country, and with most states beginning classes in late August or after the first of September, many families will have to forego traditional August family get-togethers and reunions.