Spring break is drawing to a close as New Westminster students experience their last couple of days off school (and an Easter weekend to boot).
But whether this two-week-long break has been a time of refreshment or a stress-filled scramble for extra child care depends very much on perspective.
Most school districts – although not all – have moved from a one-week break to a two-week break in the past decade.
There’s no particularly sound educational reason for that.
The longer break began as a cost-saving measure to help cash-strapped school districts operate within tight budgets. When classes aren’t in session, school districts save on overhead like fuel, lights, heating and costs for casual employees such as teachers on call.
Of course, some of the largest costs faced by school districts – pay for regular teachers, for instance – aren’t impacted by spring break because salaried employees are paid based on hours of instruction throughout the school year.
There’s an argument to be made that money isn’t really saved by a longer spring break – just shifted, from the general provincial taxpayers to families, who now find themselves paying for extra child care and activities or taking time off work.
Not to mention the potential burden on employers – particularly in small businesses – who face the problem of multiple employees seeking the same days off.
While many families – particularly those with a parent at home, a parent who happens to be a teacher, or those with flexible work schedules and the means to take off for a sunny vacation – welcome a longer spring break, others find the added week a strain.
It’s not hard to see that people such as working single parents will be most challenged, and it’s the most vulnerable kids – those who will spend most of their break in front of a screen, or whose families rely on social supports at their school – who will find a longer break more challenging.
Before the two-week spring hiatus becomes something that’s “always been done,” it’s worth considering who’s really getting the break here and who’s been left dealing with the impacts of this downloading.
