I want to respectfully express my disappointment that the proposed 2026–27 PUSD calendar is essentially a repeat of the past two years and remains unchanged despite the district’s efforts to gather community feedback.
A total of 455 families participated in the calendar survey, yet the results are nowhere reflected in the outcome. Community feedback — and the preferences of Piedmont families — should meaningfully inform the school calendar. Even among teachers, the APT-approved calendar passed by only a narrow margin (just above the 50% threshold), suggesting limited consensus.
Parent groups proposed modest, broadly supported adjustments that would have benefited students, teachers, and families, but these were not considered or implemented. For example:
- Start school later in August, aligning with instructional pacing and regional family schedules. The request was simply to start 1–3 days later — a small shift with a meaningful impact for families wishing to attend summer camps or visit relatives. Under the proposed calendar, with the first day on Monday, August 11, PMS and PHS students must return by Thursday, August 6, for walk-throughs on Friday, August 7 — effectively ending summer one week early.
- Avoid a Monday first day of school. A Monday start creates an unnecessarily long first week for staff, students, and families. Survey feedback strongly favored a mid-week start to ease the transition.
- Shorten Winter Break to two weeks. The proposed schedule resumes school on Wednesday, January 6, leaving working families to secure childcare beyond the standard holiday period.
- Align with nearby high-performing districts such as Palo Alto and Orinda, which use an 85/95 or 86/94 semester balance. PUSD’s 87/93 structure remains unnecessarily rigid — especially when single-semester classes make up less than 2% of high school offerings.
So the question becomes: How can we better incorporate the interests of all K–12 students and families into the PUSD calendar? Sacrifices will always be necessary, but perhaps it’s time to explore new approaches. A calendar that honors both instructional balance and family well-being is absolutely achievable. Other high-performing districts have found solutions, and Piedmont can, too.