The Minneapolis Board of Education approved the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 calendars during a board meeting Tuesday, February 12. Dr. Bernadeia Johnson, superintendent of schools, called the revised calendars the strongest options for approval and said the calendars addressed many of the concerns community members, parents and staff members voiced regarding time in school. 

Highlights: In 2012-13, MPS added four days of school to the year: three days during winter recess and one day prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. In 2013-14:

• Start before Labor Day to maintain consistency for parents and students who are accustomed to the current calendar. The 2013-2014 school year will be the fifth year in a row that MPS starts before Labor Day.
• Extends winter break to 10 days and creates a non-school day the Wednesday before Thanksgiving for students and staff. 
• Adds teacher days in June and August to make up for additional days off during winter break. 
• Maintains consistency in providing 176 student instructional days. There are 86 days in the first semester and 90 days in the second semester. 
• The number of schools days meets the state requirement that “independent school districts [must] schedule at least as many instructional days as were originally scheduled for FY 1997.” For MPS, that number was 170 days. 
• School ends before the second week of June and allows one week or more before the start of summer school. 
• Possible snow days are added to the end of the calendar in June.

Maintains consistency:

• 176 student instructional days; meets state requirement that “independent school districts [must] schedule at least as many instructional days as were originally scheduled for FY 1997, which for MPS was 170 days
• 196 teacher work days 
• Start before Labor Day (August 26, 2013; August 25, 2014)
• Maintains semester lengths (88 days each)

In addition:

• Moves two instructional days after high-stakes assessments end in May
• Restores Wednesday before Thanksgiving as a non-school day for students and school staff
• Adds one day to winter recess in 2013-14 by designating December 23 as a winter recess day (December 23, 2013-January 1, 2014); includes eight-day winter recess in both 2013-14 and 2014-15
• Five-day spring recess (March 31-April 4, 2014; March 30-April 3, 2015)
• School ends before second week of June (June 5, 2014; June 4, 2015)
• Adheres to employee contractual agreements 
• Allows one week or more before summer session begins