Las Cruces Public Schools changes calendar for upcoming school year to include 10 additional days of learning

UPDATE: The Las Cruces Public Schools Board voted Tuesday night to change its academic calendar for the upcoming school year. The new school year will include 10 additional days of learning, in an effort to address learning loss brought on by pandemic learning.

ORIGINAL STORY: LAS CRUCES, New Mexico - On Tuesday, school board members will consider adding an additional ten days to the school year to make up for learning loss during the pandemic in Las Cruces Public Schools.

If the district selects one of two options, the district will be eligible for $550 per enrolled student in state funding, according to a district spokeswoman. The money adds up to $13 million.

“I think most people would understand that the calendar is not the fix-it-all," board chairman Ray Jaramillo told ABC-7. "It’s not going to fix all the things that the school districts across New Mexico are facing, (but) it is one piece of the puzzle that has to be addressed.”

Option #1 is the "balanced" calendar, which would include six weeks of summer vacation and longer breaks during the school year.

Option #2 is the traditional calendar option, which would include eight weeks of summer vacation and shorter breaks during the school year.

Both options add the additional ten days to the school year. A school spokeswoman said board members have the option of not voting for either calendar, which would keep the academic year the same.

"If they had a school year that was longer with the correct curriculum, it would help every kid," said Kelly Bloomfield, a parent of five who pulled her son out of seventh grade after she saw he was failing every class. "It would help the kids that are at the bottom, like my son, it would help all the kids who are at the top like the rest of my kids who are."

However, Bloomfield encouraged the district to have a structured plan in place before accepting the millions in funding.

"Adding ten days isn't going to improve anything if it's just more of the same, which is a couple of field trips sprinkled in," she said. "It's not."

"The breaks that they have are important to them," said Sam Rowan, a parent of two students in the district. "That's one of the main reasons why we oppose the change in the calendar year, because it's like working out. Your brain's a muscle. You put a lot into it. You need to give it that time to rest."

To read more about the proposed options, click this link. The information starts on page 70 of the PowerPoint presentation.