District nails down spring break

The timing of next year's spring vacation in Sisters schools has been as unsettled as spring weather. It underwent one more change at the last school board meeting.

At its March meeting, the board adopted a 2003-04 calendar that would make one major change from the recent past -- cutting the length of spring vacation to one week instead of two. Most Oregon schools take only one week. Sisters' two-week tradition is a vestige of a short-lived year-round school experiment in the mid-'90s.

The board decided in March that next year's spring break should occur during the week beginning Monday, March 30.

At its most recent (April 7) meeting, however, the board unanimously agreed to schedule spring break a week earlier, so that it will begin Monday, March 23. The change was requested by Superintendent Steve Swisher, who noted that most other Oregon schools are scheduling their break for the earlier week.

"Many athletic contests at the high school level are scheduled during spring break," Swisher explained in a memo to the board. "Keeping with our present schedule could mean a significant loss of class time for members of softball, baseball and track teams."

The board adopted the change with no debate, but noted that moving spring break up a week does not remedy the problem that drew particular criticism from Board Chairman Jeff Smith when the first schedule was adopted: significant differences in the lengths of the three trimesters.

The original schedule had 62 "student contact days" in the first trimester, 57 in the second and 54 in the third.

Under the new schedule, the second trimester will have 52 contact days and the third 59.

Swisher indicated that he may still work on ways to produce a better balance among the three periods.