Alternate Calendar Initiative Fails At Palliser Heights School

A controversial vote which would have seen a major change to the school calendar at Ecole Palliser Heights has been defeated.

In the vote, 55 percent of respondents voted in favour of the change, but the vote failed to reach the 70 percent threshold to be approved. A total of 75 percent of parents and staff voted whether or not to adopt the change. If approved the change would have happened in the 2027 - 2038 school year.

If the vote would have passed it would have allowed a modified school year to be instituted.

An alternate calendar would have given students 14 additional Fridays without classes.

Some schools within the Prairie South School Division (PSSD) have already adopted the alternate calendar without any problems. Although they are predominantly rural schools..

The move split the school community with many parents who contacted MJ Independent stating the extra 14 Fridays off made it difficult to secure child care.

In an October 15th letter to the school community Jennifer Prokopetz PSSD’s Superintendent of School Operations the vote results are announced (see letter below).

“While this shows meaningful interest, it did not meet the 70% threshold that the School Community Council had set for adopting an alternate calendar and as such, the SCC will not be taking this to the Board of Education for consideration,” Prokopetz wrote.

The issue is now considered closed.