Mt. Pleasant students to get a spring break for next year

MT. PLEASANT — Mt. Pleasant students and teachers will have an opportunity to have some time off in spring 2023. The district approved the 2022-23 school calendar to include a spring break March 6-10, 2023.

The change in the calendar results in the loss of some extended weekends like Easter weekend.

There was not an extension to the school year to get a spring break. Dates within the existing calendar have been rearranged to create the time off for spring break.

The first day of school for 2022-23 is Aug. 23, with Sept. 1-5 as the Labor Day holiday, Nov. 23-25 is the Thanksgiving holiday, Dec. 23-30 is the Christmas holiday, March 6-10 will be Spring Break, April 7 is Easter weekend, and May 26 is the end of school.

“We rearranged things a little bit within the calendar,” Superintendent John Henriksen said. “Without a bunch of snow days, we are still getting out right at the end of May.

“Right now we have an agreement of 187 days of service with the teachers. Of that, we have 175 student contact days.”

Henriksen said that there has long been a push to add spring break to the district calendar.

“We have, for years, met with a School Improvement Advisory Committee,” said Henriksen. “And every year it would come up, and a calendar committee with the teachers also asked for a spring break.”

A letter was sent out to the parents on Feb. 10 that there was slated to be a change in the 2022-23 calendar.

Contact Michelle Hillestad at michelle.hillestad@southeastiowaunion.com