The proposed local school calendars for the next three years were initially presented at the Abbotsford board of education meeting on Jan. 23.
Staff met with the Abbotsford Teachers’ Union on Jan. 23 to review the proposed calendars and have secured their written support and agreement to seek public feedback.
The calendars were presented for debate and will now be voted upon at the board’s meeting on March 12.
The 2024-25 school calendar would begin on Sept. 3 and a two-week winter break would occur from Dec. 23 to Jan. 3. A two-week spring break is set for March 17 to 28. The last day for students would be June 26.
The proposed 2025-26 school calendar would start on Sept. 2, winter break would run from Dec. 22 to Jan. 2, spring break would run from March 16 to 27 and the last day for students would be June 25.
The 2026-27 proposed school calendar would begin on Sept. 8, winter break would run from Dec. 21 to Jan. 1, spring break from March 15 to 25 and the last day for students would be June 29.
The proposed calendars are similar to the calendar approved by the board for 2023-24 and meet the prescribed minimum hours of instruction that a board must offer for each school year.
Following the meeting on March 12, the approved calendars must be submitted to the Ministry of Education by March 31.
In other news during the meeting, it was announced that the local education agreement (LEA) between Mathxwí First Nation, Semá:th First Nation and the Abbotsford board of education was extended until 2027.
The LEA applies specifically to students who live on the Nation (75 students in Abbotsford). The federal government provides funding to First Nations for students who are ordinarily resident on-reserve and in the BC public school system (K to 12). The Nation pays tuition to the school district based on a rate set by the provincial government.
The idea behind these agreements is to increase accountability and to promote effective working relationships between local First Nations bands and local boards of education.
The next board of education meeting is set for Feb. 13.
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