One of the most referenced documents at Murray City School District – and probably every school district – is the school calendar. This heightened interest makes sense, as families need to coordinate their own calendars.
MSCD Director of Personnel and Students Services Darren Dean orchestrates the effort every year or every other year, beginning with a survey sent to parents. From there, he receives feedback from parents, teachers, and others on various preferences for school breaks, start dates, and end dates. This data is used to create two or three draft calendars that families and personal will be asked to vote on again later in the process.
Go here to participate in a survey to help identify calendar dates for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years. You have until Friday, April 19 at 4 pm to submit your feedback. You can also review our current calendar and next year’s calendar here for reference.
But other factors do play into the organization of a school calendar as well, including:
- Federal and State-Recognized Holidays
- Parent/Teacher Conferences
- Non-Contract Days
- Teacher Work Days (no school for students): Time is given to teachers to prepare for lessons, grading, and other administrative tasks
- Professional Development Days/Hours: Required training time for teachers to maintain licensure
- Teacher Compensatory Days: Time off teachers are given as compensation for working beyond contracted hours
The Utah State Board of Education outlines in R277-419-4 that schools must complete 990 hours of instruction over a minimum of 180 days. School districts can seek exemptions to that rule, but they must be backed up with compelling circumstances. We saw some of that occur in 2020 and 2021, where districts were allowed flexibility due to the pandemic.
Breaks, conferences, work obligations, contracts, and professional development, are all key features of a school calendar that require equal consideration. Unfortunately, families don’t often agree on school start and end dates or breaks.
However, MCSD and our Board of Education rely heavily on the input of our community to arrive and the best option with the greatest agreement.
