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CPS Shuffles Schedule To Make Up Strike Days

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Sep 28, 2012 3:00PM

Chicago Public Schools students will have a shorter winter break and classes extending a little further into June in the new school calendar. CPS chief Jean-Claude Brizard played holiday jenga with the calendar to sort out the calendar changes made in the new teachers contract, as well as the dates added to make up for the school days missed during the strike.

In March CPS added 10 days to the schedule, eliminated holidays for Columbus Day and Pulaski Day and changed report card pickup days into attendance days. Teachers said that calendar increased the possibility for burnout, and the calendar became a contentious issue in the strike. This year, students will be in school on Columbus Day, but in the future that will remain a holiday. Students will be in school on Presidents Day in February, and that will remain a school day in the future.

A third of CPS schools started on Aug. 13, and those will lose one week of the scheduled two-week break in October, plus another day added to the end of the year in June.

The other two-thirds of schools started on Sept. 4, and they will lose two days from winter break and add another four days onto the end of the school year.