The calendar for the 2018-19 school year, which includes the recent week-long fall break and a shortened Christmas break, is unlike any other that Clark County has seen in recent years.

Supt. Paul Christy contends that this year is “the first time in a long time that we’ve had a full fall break, and it has shortened the Christmas break.”

The calendar was chosen by online vote, with the Board of Education approving the one receiving the most votes.

“It used to be that the board would make the calendar decision, and it seemed like no matter what they decided there were a lot of people who disagreed with it,” Christy said. “So what I suggested to them was to put together a calendar committee.”

This committee consisted of teachers, administrators, and board members who created three calendar recommendations that were eventually voted on by the staff in the district.

Although the full-week fall break was included in the calendar receiving the most votes, Christy dislikes the full week because he believes that “it’s a disruption in the educational process.”

Christy said when the district was out Sept. 10 for a flood day, he hoped one day of Fall Break could be used as a make-up. That wasn’t possible, he said, because when the calendar was adopted, “there was an agreement by the majority of the board members that this year, when we miss a day, we tack it on the end of the year.”

As a result, the last day of school has already been pushed back one day, moving it from Friday, May 24, to the Tuesday after Memorial Day, May 28. And this is before winter even begins.

“If we miss anymore days,” Christy said, “each day just gets tacked on the end of the year.”

The state only requires that schools go 170 days per year, but Clark County schools goes 176. In the past, those extra five days have been used as make-up days, but the Board of Education has said not to expect any of these days to be approved as make-ups, Christy said.

Surrounding districts, like Bourbon, Estill, Fayette, Madison, and Powell, are all out of school 10 days for Christmas break, while Clark is only out for eight. Fayette, Madison, and Powell are able to have this longer Christmas break as a result of 2- or 3-day fall breaks, but Bourbon and Estill still have the longer Christmas despite their week-long fall breaks.

Christy said the decision to set the last day of school before Christmas break to Friday the 21st has to do with attendance.

“The attendance drops off less if you go until the end of the week,” he said. “So it’s not a good idea to have only one or two days in a week.”