B.C. school districts are weighing their options after the introduction of legislation that will allow for year-round classes.
The legislation, tabled Thursday, eliminates the standard September-to-June school calendar beginning in the fall of 2013, and gives local school districts the right to set their own schedules provided they meet a minimum number of teaching hours.
Surrey School Board chair Laurae McNally told CTV News that she welcomes the flexibility.
"Every school district in this province is different and the local boards know best the needs in their community. To the minister's credit, he has given back some local autonomy to individual school boards to respond to local needs," she said.
In Vancouver, school board chair Patti Bacchus said that her district has been discussing the move to a "balanced" school year for a while.
"Looking at it, there are some school districts, such as Richmond and Maple Ridge and Langley, that have gone to a balanced calendar, so I think there's some potential there," she said.
Three B.C. schools are already on a balanced school year, based on the idea that children learn better when they don't have a long summer break.
But the teachers' union says there needs to be more research on the educational benefits before final decisions are made.
"The jury's out," BC Teachers' Federation president Susan Lambert said. "I hope trustees are actually very prudent and careful with these kind of changes, because I don't know whether we know what the impact is on children."
School boards will have to hold consultations with parents, teachers and administrators before deciding whether to make the switch.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Jina You and files from The Canadian Press
