District adjusting to new, state-mandated start date

Cameron students will go back to school a week later next school year as part of a state-mandated change to the Cameron School District schedule.

Instead of starting class in mid-August, the first day of school will begin no earlier than Aug. 24, 2020 as state legislators seek to streamline state attendance. 

“The canoe outfitters got together and figured they wanted schools to start later,” Cameron Supt. Matt Robinson said. “We don’t get a choice on when we can start school anymore, but we can’t start it any earlier than August 24th from now on. The first problem we have with that is not only are we a week behind on everything we normally do, now, we’re going to have a shortened first semester schedule.”

Robinson said he met with administrators and sent digital communications with staff to generate ideas for squeezing in the extra week. Robinson said shifting staff development days to accommodate will be necessary.

“Our consensus is nobody wants to start on a Monday and have a 5-day week right out of the gate. We will start [Aug. 25, 2020] and that gives us a little bit of a short week that first week and the only day off we would have is Labor Day,” Robinson said. “We go to October and October 9th will be homecoming and we will have a half-day so that’s early release on that day. To get some [professional development] during the school year, on October 29th, that will be our teacher and parent conferences, but kids will not come on the 29th. Usually, we have kids for half a day and then we have parent-teacher conferences. We will actually do professional development in the morning and at night have parent-teacher conferences.”

Robinson said there will be no change to the Thanksgiving break, but the Christmas break will not begin until December 22 to accommodate to the late start.

“I’ve talked to some other schools and some are getting it on the 18th and half of them are getting out on the 22nd,” Robinson said. “What we’re going to do is move it back the exact same way so we’re going to come back a little later in January. It’s going to be, I think, the exact same amount of time that we’re getting off this year that we’re getting off next year.”

The board also:

• Approved the language of its $10 million building improvement tax plan.

• Received an update regarding the training of appointed board members Pam Ice and Ann Goodwin-Clark.

• Received an update regarding on and off-campus student vaping.