Returning to school after summer break feels too soon. How would you feel, though, if we had 10 weeks instead of 9? This is something that the Piedmont School Board and Calendar Committee have been considering over several months. I, and a few others, had the opportunity to witness what happens behind the scenes and received insight on what teachers think about this extra week in addition to other topics.
The Board of Education at Piedmont typically meets in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, every second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. However, meetings typically last longer. The meeting I attended was on Nov. 12, 2025. At this meeting, Board members discussed the 2026-27 instructional calendar, the success and frustrations within PUSD’s annual report on district achievement, the approval of the Honors Modern World History class, Havens Elementary “State of School”, and more.
Calendar and history
I learned that there was much more to the summer break issue than simply missing seven more days of school, and that [calendar changes] could cause many more problems for the teachers and possibly even the students. The discusson about the calendar included Allison Cota, a teacher at Piedmont High School and chair member of the Calendar Committee, the five BOE members, and Susanne Reed, who is the principal of Havens Elementary school.
Issues with the instructional calendar didn’t sound like problems at first. My mind immediately heard “extra week of summer break,” and it sounded like a good idea. Once my mind had cleared, however, I recognized the frustrations and issues that came with this, and I interviewed Allison Cota after the meeting.
As I spoke with Cota. I realized that [a later start date] would cause immense levels of stress on both teachers and students if this calendar change was passed. It would alter the courses and schedules of all teachers, causing the information learned to be in a shorter, quicker process, something that may cause students to fail in learning retention. The extra week would also get rid of other non-school days like the ones Piedmont has in October.
In regard to the topic of the new honors history course, Cota said she was there to offer support as the [modern world history team] presented the proposed Honors curriculum. At the meeting, the class curriculum was approved; however, this outcome only occurred after a “very emotional and long question and answer” session with a Board member that ended with the compromise of an agreement to pass the proposal. Cota also said that although “it’s not a course [she’ll] be teaching, [she] is supportive and can offer a set of eyes” as the other teachers adapt to this new course.
Student achievement
The next topic on the agenda of the meeting was the Annual Report on the District’s Student Achievement. PUSD Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Hawn highlighted some positive aspects of the report: A pass rate of 89% within AP exams (only eleven students didn’t pass); PUSD continues to be one of the highest performing school districts in the state and is also one of the best at college prep; and there were more students with a perfect CAASP score this year.
However, Boardmembers had some concerns: Ruchi Medhekar noted a 19% reduction in ELA scores at Millennium High School and a 6% reduction in ELA and Math at Beach Elementary. Lindsay Thomasson, another member of the Board, spoke out on the Special Education data that was found at Havens Elementary. PUSD happens to be one of the top schools regarding Special Education, but the ranking was still a concern to Thomasson, stating it was frustrating.
Havens State of School presentation
Havens Principal Susanne Reed presented data regarding students’ health and education. Reed had a slide in her presentation that stuck with me and prompted me to address the Board. This slide showed the results of a survey given out to the students, questioning their satisfaction with the school, and although the results were happy to look at, one of the findings in 2024 showed that 29% of the students believed that their teachers didn’t care about them. I shared my own experiences as a student: in classes where I’ve felt a teacher cares for me, I become more involved in the classroom, would speak up among conversations with the students and teachers. I also said that I noticed I have higher grades in classes where I believe teachers care for me. I hope they use my words as encouragement to influence teachers to build stronger relationships with their students.
Piedmont’s Board of Education has shown me that there is much more to the school system than being a student. There are complicated proposals and questions that are addressed during these meetings, and I believe it is important that students occasionally view school from the perspective of their teachers. Teachers spend a lot of time teaching, grading, and lesson planning, which is already tons of work; however, many of them spend more time on other issues, such as the calendar, that have an important impact on all students.