Next School Year, the Weekend Will be a bit Longer

It's been an increasingly frustrating decision for both district parents and the Cedar Rapids School Board: What to do about the 2016-2017 school calendar. At issue is a required amount of hours the teachers need for prep and how to best fit that in with the smallest disruption to parents and the school year in general. After considering early out Wednesdays and late start Mondays, a decision has finally been reached.

Effective next year, every Friday of the school year will be an early out. Every Friday parents will need to make arrangements for kids coming home early. Every Friday kids will rejoice as the weekend starts a bit early.

We see the pros and cons. On the negative side, we've spoken to a couple teachers who see the added time as time wasted. They feel there's really not much they can accomplish during those few hours, and they'd rather just have the students there. Also, this creates a big inconvenience for working parents. On the flip side, if parents want to take a three-day weekend, you can now leave a bit earlier.

While we're certain this reveal will stir up plenty of conversations and arguments, we're sure many, including the school board, are glad the issue is finally resolved. Like it or not.

Other things to note:

• The school year will run August 23 to June 1.
• Spring Break will be March 13-17.
• Winter Break will be December 22 to January 2.
• Additional time may be added to the school day beginning March 20, 2017 and/or at the end of the year.

What's your take? Weigh in your comments below.