Calendars approved for 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years

Feedback from students, parents and staff shaped calendar decisions

On Tuesday, October 9, the Boulder Valley Board of Education approved calendars for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years.

2019-2020 School Year Calendar
2020-2021 School Year Calendar

Every few years, the Boulder Valley School District takes on the difficult work of creating district calendars for upcoming years. As you might imagine, it can be quite a challenge given the competing viewpoints on the matter.

In the end, administrators work to develop calendars that meet all of the requirements from our Board of Education Policy IC/IC-A: School Year/School Calendar/National Holidays, state law, our labor agreements, and guiding principles formed through feedback from students, families and staff.

“About seven years ago, we brought together students, parents and students to hear their thoughts about the calendars and that work resulted in the guiding principles we use today,” explained BVSD Assistant Superintendent of School Leadership Robbyn Fernandez.

Below is a listing of those requirements.

Colorado Instructional Time Requirements

Click on link for the requirements set by the Colorado Department of Education under state law.

BVSD Guiding Principles

• Provide a calendar that is the same for all schools - elementary, middle, K-8 and high school

• End the first semester before Winter Break

• Coordinate the BVSD calendar with the University of Colorado, Boulder and Saint Vrain School District

• End the school year prior to Memorial Day

• Begin the school year as late in August as possible or after Labor Day

• Avoid scheduling breaks that would interfere with student participation in key assessments such as Access (for English Language Development), Colorado Measures for Academic Success (CMAS), Colorado SAT (CO-SAT), Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB)

• Limit the number of partial school weeks (fewer than five days)
   

Labor Agreement Requirements

• Students must be in school for 172 days

• Four additional days are set aside as exchange days for parent-teacher conferences, which are held after school

• Five and a half days are set aside as teacher Work Days: One and a half days before students start, one day mid-year at the end of the first semester or second trimester, and one day at the end of the school year, plus four other half days.
   

Federal Holidays Observed by BVSD

• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day
• New Year’s Day
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Washington-Lincoln Day (President’s Day)
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Veterans Day

The calendars for 2019-20 and 2020-21 were presented to several stakeholder groups including the District Accountability Committee, District Parent Council, Teacher Advisory Committee, the executive board and Association Representatives of the Boulder Valley Education Association, Principal Advisory Council, Instructional Leadership Team, Cabinet and, finally, the Boulder Valley Board of Education.