Could a ‘Balanced’ Calendar be the future of Vermilion education?

Most people in Vermilion Parish have never heard of a “balanced calendar.” Yet, those two words were spoken at a recent school board meeting for possibly the first time. However, it will probably not be the last time.
Assistant Superintendent Paul Hebert introduced next year’s school calendar to the school board.
Next year’s school calendar will be like this year’s school calendar. Students report to school on Aug. 11, 2022 for the first day of school. Graduation will be held May 18, 19 and May 20.
But when school starts in 2023-2024, it could be on a different date.
Vermilion Parish public schools could be going to a “balanced” calendar in two years.
School officials will be visiting Red River Parish soon. Red River Parish is the only parish that follows a balanced calendar.
What is a “balanced” calendar?
Balanced year school calendars are calendars in which the typical summer vacation is 10 weeks or six weeks. There would be two-week breaks (called intersessions) in the fall and spring.
All of the other holidays remain the same.
By using a balanced calendar approach, schools seek to provide a full year of academic instruction through a more evenly distributed learning cycle resulting in diminished learning loss and more consistent learning gain.
Red River’s calendar change has not added any days to the school year. Instead, the long summer break students and teachers are accustomed to has been chopped up and redistributed. Under the new calendar, students attend classes for nine weeks, followed by a two-week break.
In the United States, more than 3,000 schools operate on a non-traditional calendar, but very few are in the South.
Not everyone favors the ‘Balanced’ scheduled in Red River Parish. In a recent news story by WWNO, one parent told the reporter that students are burned out and need a break by June. An online petition to do away with a “balanced” calender was started, and 600 names were signed within a couple of hours
Red River was the first district to make the change in Louisiana. Webster Parish’s neighbor has approved its own balanced calendar for the coming year, while a similar effort in another nearby parish failed.
Districts attempting to make the change have cited the support of Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley, who is a big balanced calendar fan.
While he is not pushing schools to take the plunge, he is trying to make the process easier and is currently working with legislators on plans for a state-wide pilot program.
In an interview, Brumley said he knows the change may not be suitable for every district, but he hopes they will seriously consider making the switch if it is truly in the best interest of students.
“We need to recognize that Louisiana nationally is 48 or 49 when it comes to educational outcomes,” Brumley said. “I just don’t think we can sit back and say we’re never trying anything new.”
(WWNO in New Orleans, Mississippi Public Broadcasting, WBHM in Birmingham, Ala. and NPR. contributed to this story)