APS adjusts academic calendar for this month

Albuquerque Public Schools has adjusted its academic calendar for March, the district announced on its website last week.

Originally, the plan would have had middle schoolers out of school for four days, including the weekend, back for one, and then leave again for spring break.

But Chief of Schools Channell Segura said that plan was changed amid concerns from middle school educators that it would have caused low attendance among their students on March 26, a day originally sandwiched between parent-teacher conferences and spring break. Now, middle schoolers will be in class on Friday, March 22, and not that Tuesday.

“Ultimately, the whole objective was to make sure that we have a continuity of learning for all grade levels,” she said.

The concerns were originally raised with the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, union President Ellen Bernstein confirmed. While the changes were apparently made relatively late, Segura noted the district “responded immediately” when the issue was brought up.

Instead of being off for a K-8 educator professional development day on March 22, middle schoolers would come to school that day, while elementary schoolers would be out as their educators are in professional development. As in the original plan, high schoolers will be in school that day.

Exceptions to this rule include students in Coyote Willow and Desert Willow family schools, which allow for home-schooling, and Transformational Opportunity Pilot Schools, which have more and longer school days. There are 21 such schools.

High schoolers and Coyote Willow and Desert Willow students will still be in school the following Monday, March 25, while other elementary schoolers will have parent-teacher conferences and middle school educators will be in professional development.

Navajo Elementary School students will be in class from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

All three groups will be in parent-teacher conferences that Tuesday, and spring break begins the following day.

Making these changes, Segura said, is part of having fewer broken-up weeks in APS’ calendar. Having too many fractured weeks is a concern families have raised this school year, and one that district officials aimed to address in creating next school year’s calendar.

“We want to engage our students instructionally as seamlessly as possible so that there’s not disruption,” Segura said. “But I think also for our families, it’s very challenging to find child care for their students … when things are so choppy.”