Enumclaw School Board approves calendar for 2012-13 school year

Enumclaw School District students can look forward to the 2012-13 school year beginning Aug. 29, before Labor Day, and closing, if they’re lucky, June 12. Snow days, if needed, will be tacked on the end.

And, despite the objections of some Enumclaw School Board members, students can also look forward to February’s mid-winter break.

“I’m disappointed,” board member Corey Cassell said during the board’s June 20 meeting where it adopted the calendar. “I’m disappointed they will not consider an option to shorten mid-winter break.”

He was referring to the Enumclaw Education Association, the teachers’ union district leaders negotiate with to determine each year’s calendar. The calendar is traditionally adopted two years out to give families time to plan for alternative childcare arrangements or vacations.

District Human Resources Director Kathy Lockyer said the association was offered two calendars with the board’s desire for a beginning and ending date for school, snow make-up dates to be added to the end of the calendar and to consider shortening mid-winter break.

“They did a pre-calendar survey and overwhelming they wanted a mid-winter break,” Lockyer said.

Teachers voted 97 to 79 in favor of the calendar option offered to the board. The primary difference, Lockyer noted, was one calendar started before Labor Day, the other after the September holiday. Both, she said, contained the February respite.

In addition to mid-winter break Feb. 18-22, the calendar also includes winter break from Dec. 20 to Jan. 1 and spring break between April 22-26.

The full calendar, along with the 2011-12 calendar, is available at the district’s website, www.enumclaw.wednet.edu.

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