PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Peoria Public School parents are pushing back against a calendar proposal some say is too premature.
The debate surrounding traditional or modified calendars was at the heart of Monday’s night Peoria Public School Board meeting. Ultimately, the board decided to delay the vote for the time being.
“I’m glad we tabled it. As a parent, I think that this moved too fast,” said board member Anni Reinking.
Under the modified calendar, schools would start two weeks early. Fall break and spring break would then be two weeks long each, instead of a week.
Reinking said there needs to be more data before making such a big change.
“Attendance records, grades, office referrals, those types of things, attendance for teachers and students, retention of teachers,” she said.
Mary Beth Cunningham said she likes the idea of a modified calendar but needs to see more. She echoed Reinking’s desire for more data and research.
“In a district this large, we have to cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s before we make big blanket changes like this,” she said.
Cunningham added, that the change could be a burden on parents unable to accommodate their schedules to be with their kids.
“I do know that my single parent friends, friends who are in the military, and people who don’t necessarily have as much support system, it would really really mess things up for them if it’s not done with integrity with childcare and those types of things,” she said.
Lynn Fingerhut is opposed to the modified calendar. She said the community needs to be more involved in the process.
“I don’t think it really fits with our current society. I don’t think it works,” she said. “I don’t think enough questions have been answered, I don’t think enough data has been presented, and more importantly, I don’t think enough community input has been solicited.”
The next school board meeting is scheduled for Feb. 7.