I still do not understand why the entire corporation calendar changed to start earlier for the benefit of a minority of students who attend programs in other districts.

Better alignment with the Area 31 Vocational Calendar was one of several reasons why the 2011-2012 calendar was changed. Another important reason includes balancing the semesters at the high school to allow the first semester to end prior to Winter Break. The later start guarantees that 2200 students return from two weeks of break to finish up the semester and take final exams. In addition, it was important to eliminate inconsistencies between K-8 and 9-12 calendars, which also saves on transportation costs and cuts out professional development days from the regular school calendar.