Though most Austin students have more than a month before summer vacation ends, school is already back in session for several students.

Sumner Elementary School and Woodson Kindergarten Center’s concurrent year-round, 45/15 classes started the 2014-15 school year Tuesday. This is the fourth year Sumner and Woodson have used the system, and school officials say it has worked well.

“One of the benefits is it doesn’t take as long for our kids to get back into the swing of things,” Sumner Principal Sheila Berger said. “By shortening that [break] we’ve definitely seen the benefits.”

Superintendent David Krenz has been happy with the progress of the year-round calendar.

“It’s been a phenomenal improvement for Sumner school,” Krenz said. “As a staff they developed it, they did the research, they implemented, and the families have bought into it and believe that it is benefiting their kids.”

As the National Education Association points out, year-round supporters say it helps learning retention, uses school space more efficiently and helps faculty identify students who need extra help.

Berger said school officials have been able to identify students who need extra support throughout the year and help them get back on track before the school year ends. Through test scores, Berger said they’ve seen fewer students falling behind in their classes.

“We’ve had really good success,” Berger said.

The year-round calendar features a shortened summer break and three-week breaks throughout the school year. This has allowed teachers to see which students are falling behind and help them catch up during the breaks.

But the system has worked well for adults, too. Berger said knowing there will be a three week break after just nine weeks is nice for both students and teachers.

“By the time August hits we all need a little bit of structure back in our lives,” Berger said with a laugh.

Teachers aren’t the only adults who feel the 45/15 calendar has been beneficial. Due to more requests for the new calendar, Woodson Kindergarten Center is adding a third class section for students, according to Krenz.

This means that one of the teachers previously slated for the traditional calendar will move to the year-round calendar to accommodate for the number of students.

“I think it’s great, right now it really does meet the needs of the students that attend Sumner Elementary School,” Krenz said. “I think as long as the parents are seeing a good, healthy education environment for their students, it will be a viable tool for helping improve student learning.”

According to Educational Services Director John Alberts, the year-round calendar is an option for a district-wide switch. A group, which met in April and in May, is looking at different calendar options for the district to see whether a switch would be helpful or not.

The year-round calendar is one of several options on the table. The group is set to meet again in September and has a deadline of Dec. 8 to make a recommendation.

“There’s a lot of different things at the table,” Alberts said. “It’s more a matter of, the questions have arisen, and so lets explore it with the most amount of learning and knowledge that we can.”

Albert Lea Public Schools is also discussing a district-wide calendar change for its 2015-16 school year, and 45/15 is one option being considered.

In Other Business
The Austin Public Schools board approved Monday, Dec. 8, 2014, as the date to hold the annual Truth in Taxation hearing at the Austin City Council Chambers as part of its regular meeting.

Trey Mewes contributed to this report