1. A committee of parents, teachers, students, principals, administrators and community members draft and recommend two proposed calendars.
2. Employees and community members have an opportunity to vote for their preference.
3. The superintendent reviews the calendars and responses, making a recommendation to the Board of Education.
4. The Board of Education votes on the calendar recommendation.

Calendar Requirements

• 215 Employment Days
  • The entire school calendar is 215 days, including school days, teacher's workdays, annual leave days and holidays.
• 185 Days of Instruction (1,025 hours)
  • There must be 185 instructional or student days or 1025 instructional hours, which may start no sooner than the Monday closest to August 26 and end no later than the Friday closest to June 11.
• Teacher Workdays
  • Teacher workdays are included in the calendar and are non-instructional days for students. Workdays may be used for planning or professional development. For more information on workdays, click here to see the CMS Regulation.
• 11 Holidays
  • Veterans Day must be a holiday; the others are discretionary. July 4 is a 12th holiday for 12-month employees. 
• 10 Annual Leave Days
  • CMS must schedule 10 annual leave (vacation) days for teachers.

The committee strives to create calendars that focus on academics and maximize instruction. Breaks are scheduled so that teachers and students have consecutive days off in the winter and spring.

The committee also considers:

• Avoiding days when high absenteeism is likely, such as major religious holidays
• Placing make-up days where they are likely to be needed, and using workdays after June 10 as a last resort 
• Recognizing the need for winter break to be as long as possible
• Giving consideration to federal holiday
• Planning the timing of spring break