By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

HOOVER—In response to community requests, the Hoover Board of Education unanimously approved an amended 2016-2017 academic calendar during a March 14 meeting at Rocky Ridge Elementary School.

The school system is preparing to enact a rezoning plan for the coming academic year. In response to the rezoning, parents requested a later start day for the 2016-2017 academic year.

“Our community, page after page, was (asking), ‘Could we start later? Could we start later?’” HCS Assistant Superintendent Melody Green said.

Green, along with representatives from each school, worked to create a new calendar reflecting the community’s request.

School will start on Aug. 11 rather than Aug. 4 as originally planned.

In order to push the start of school back by a week, several adjustments had to be made to the calendar. The last day of school will be pushed from May 24, 2017 to Friday, May 26, 2017. Students will return from winter break on Jan. 3, 2017 instead of Jan. 4, 2017. One day designated for professional development and one for inclement weather were turned into academic instruction days.

The amended calendar still includes a week-long vacation for Thanksgiving.

While the later start date may ease rezoning transitions, there are downsides to the new calendar, Green said.

The changes to the calendar resulted in “significantly unbalanced” semesters, Green said. The 180 required instructional days are split between an 84-day first semester and a 96-day second semester.

Additionally, teachers must return to school following Memorial Day to close out work for the academic year.

While Green said the original 2016-2017 academic calendar was “ambitious but it’s feasible,” she noted the calendar planning committee unanimously recommended the amendments.

Details about the amended calendar will be posted to the Hoover City Schools website, Hoovercityschools.net.