Waukegan D60 wrestling with school calendar for next 3 years: ‘Everybody couldn’t get what they wanted’

School may start a little later in August for the next three school years in Waukegan Community Unit School District 60, but the change will still allow high school students to take their final exams before winter break.

Faced with a dilemma of how to begin classes later in August but not create a situation forcing high school students to fret over final exams during their two-week winter break, the district’s Calendar Committee found a potential solution.

Nick Alatzakis, the Calendar Committee chair and the district’s communications director, said the only way to balance a roughly even number of days in each semester was to find middle ground. A compromise was necessary.

“Everybody couldn’t get what they wanted,” Alatzakis said. “How do we ensure we are still having a full first semester, as full as can be, so the high school students are getting their finals in, while also recognizing that would mean an Aug. 10 start date?”

The District 60 Board of Education is scheduled to vote on whether to approve the calendars for the next three school years on Tuesday at the Education Service Center in Waukegan, giving the administration some certainty for long-term planning.

Before the board on Tuesday will be the proposed calendar for the 2026-2027 school year, the 2027-2028 term and the 2028-2029 academic year. The board has the opportunity to vote on each calendar separately, or decide on all three at once.

If the calendars are approved as they are currently drafted, all three terms will start the third Monday in August — a week later than the current school year. Classes would begin Aug. 17 next year, Aug. 16 in 2027 and Aug. 14 in 2028.

Board members got their first look at the three calendars during a meeting of the board’s Operational Services Committee on Tuesday. Board member Anita Hanna said she was concerned about starting school in the first few weeks of August.

“It’s inconvenient because you’re cutting off the summertime,” she said. “My big point is how it’s impacting the families in the community that we are starting school early in August instead of going to the end of August which (has) historically been done.”

Alatzakis said school typically started the fourth week of August. The earlier start was implemented approximately six years ago to allow high school students to take their final exams before winter break.

“The idea of completing high school finals before winter break (is) so that students can go on winter break and not either forget the material they have learned, or have the stress of finals hanging over their head,” he said.

Hanna wanted to know what the students thought. Though a survey was taken to get the input of students, teachers, staff and parents, Alatzakis said most of the responses came from staff. The overwhelming majority — more than 70% — favored finals before winter break.

“We wanted to make sure the students had their finals before winter break,” Alatzakis said. That is the most student-centered thing we could have done. Adult-centered would have been for us to determine what was convenient for our vacation schedule.”

Board member Christine Lensing said scheduling final exams for high school students before winter break is important, but she wants to see precise data three years from now when the next trio of calendars is presented. Students as well as adults need time off, she said.

“I am in full support we should not do that to our kids,” Lensing said regarding finals in January. “ When you are on a break, take that break. Use your vacation. Use your mental health days. Take the break. I’m very happy that’s been prioritized.”

By moving the start of school a week later, Alatzakis said the semesters are not balanced. Ideally they should be 83 days. For the next two years, the first semester will be shorter and the second will be longer.

Amanda Milewski, the associate superintendent of strategy and accountability, said in an email after the committee meeting, there are “buffer” days in all semesters. Teachers can work together to make sure everything intended to be taught is imparted.

“To accommodate slight differences between the number of days in each semester, content teams of teachers can collaborate to determine what content and skills can be slightly adjusted based on priority standards,” Milewski said.

Though not part of the calendar package, Lensing said the school day starts too early for most youngsters. She wants to see the administration begin the school day later, and end it later, so students get their proper rest.

“Sleep is important to our growing minds,” she said. “Starting as early as we do has been a big pain point for me. The science does not back that.

“While the big impact is on middle and high school students, it may mean we also shift the elementary to accommodate that component,” Lensing said.