A proposal to move up the start date for the 2018-19 school year in Broward County was approved by the school board on Tuesday afternoon.
School board members voted 7-2 on the calendar for next school year, which would include starting the school year on Wednesday, August 15th. The current school year started on Monday, August 21st to continue the long standing tradition of starting on that day of the week.
The new schedule would allow for semester exams to be completed before winter break, while Thanksgiving break would take place from November 21st – 23rd and Spring Break would be from March 25-29, 2019. The last day of school would be scheduled for June 4th.
Students also would not have class scheduled during Election Day, on November 6th.
Teachers will also be getting a raise as part of a tentative contract agreement announced by superintendent Robert Runcie.
"These are bittersweet moments, we do the absolute best we can, to show our respect and appreciation for our employees but we also recognize that we continue to face funding challenges from the state of Florida," Runcie said.
Raises will range from 2.6 percent to 3.51 percent. The raise for teachers with about 30 years of service will be a one time $1,000 bonus.
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Teacher salaries in Broward range from about $41,000 to $75,000.
