Even though there were concerns over the likely hot temperatures and there was a lack of input from the community, the Davenport school board voted 4-3 to start school four days earlier next year, on August 23.

Board member Nikki DeFauw voted against the measure, saying that the board was going against the promise they had made to get more involvement in the community.

"We are backtracking on the commitment we made to the community to have them involved," said DeFauw in an interview with the QC Times.

Three years ago, online surveys were conducted to gather  community opinions on this issue, but these were aimed at parents and teachers rather than students. 

The early start date was set back a few years ago for a reason that was strongly supported by parents. Rooms were too hot for students to be spending class time in. If there had been more discussion before deciding to start early, parents probably would have continued to support their views from 2003, especially since less than half of Davenport schools have air conditioning.

Superintendent Julio Almanza told the school board that administrators would take steps to keep classrooms cooler, including leaving windows open at night. However, those same steps were taken in 2003 and schools were forced to let out early the first week of school because the rooms were unbearably hot.    

The school board in the past has made a good effort to gather community opinion with the online surveys that they have posted for parents, but more communication is needed. Encouraging parents to sit in on and speak at school board meetings, and continuing to survey them over issues would be good steps to take to trigger parent involvement.

Because all families are affected by the school calendar, input from parents, students, and teachers should be gathered before the school board makes any changes to the school calendar.