District U-46 construction may push back start of 2026-27 school year
The district school board was briefed this week on the proposed schedule change, which would have classes beginning closer to the start of September than they have for the last decade or more.
'That is because of the planned construction district-wide,' Mark Moore, assistant superintendent of human resources Mark Moore, told the board Monday night. 'Our informal thinking is we would get back to our typical calendar over two or three years.'
However, with construction and other variables to consider, it is impossible to say for certain what the calendar would look like beyond 2026-27, Moore said.
The district has undertaken an ambitious building project schedule over the next few years in which new schools will be built, some schools will be expanded and others will undergo renovations and improvements.
Plans call for work to be done at Kimball and Kenyon Woods middle schools and Century Oaks and Glenbrook elementary schools as the district moves sixth-grade classes into middle schools and adds early learning centers at elementary schools, among other changes.
If the proposed calendar outlined by Moore is adopted, the 2026-27 school year would start Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, and end Friday, June 4, 2027, if no snow days are used.
By contrast, the current school year began on Aug. 11, 2024, and will end May 20.
Moore said high school graduation will likely remain on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, which is how it is currently scheduled for this year and next.
'We will be negotiating a new contract with NOW Arena for graduation dates,' Superintendent Suzanne Johnson told the board. 'So, as an aside, that's something the Board of Education can expect to see come forward (in the future).'
U-46 has been holding its high school graduation ceremonies at the Hoffman Estates venue for about 20 years.
As for the shift in the calendars, Johnson said, 'When we take a deep breath, everyone realizes that the calendar is being readjusted to be responsive to the construction that is occurring across the system to update learning spaces for our students. '
While appreciating the 'why' behind the proposed change, board member Dawn Martin said she was concerned about its impact, particularly on how high school schedules for testing and advanced placement courses align with other districts.
'If my kids were little, I would have no issue. Having bigger kids, it scares the heck of me,' Martin said.
The school board is tentatively expected to vote on the 2026-27 calendar at its June 2 meeting.
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