On the eve of Memorial Day Weekend, it’s time to look ahead at some other important dates

It’s Friday, May 28, and a quick check of the calendar reveals it’s a holiday for students in kindergarten through the eighth grade. (Sorry, high schoolers.) This might be a good time to point out some other important dates on the horizon.

We probably don’t need to remind you that all IUSD campuses will be closed on Monday, May 31, in honor of Memorial Day. Schools will then reopen on Tuesday, June 1, which happens to be the day of the next Board of Education meeting. The following week, all IUSD families will get another extended weekend as a result of staff furlough days on June 7 and June 8. Then another four-day weekend will follow due to furlough days on June 14 and June 15. As you may recall, the school board in March approved four districtwide furlough days for 2009-10 and eight for 2010-11 in response to California’s ongoing budget crisis, which created a shortfall of nearly $20 million for IUSD. Furloughs are certainly not an ideal solution, as they compress the instructional year for students and reduce compensation for employees. Yet they were necessary, along with a series of other budget adjustments, to help IUSD bridge its budget gap for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Looking ahead, here are some other key dates to note:

• June 21: San Joaquin High School will hold its commencement ceremony
• June 22: Commencement ceremonies will be held for Irvine, Northwood, University, Woodbridge and Creekside high schools. (Click here for more information.)
• June 23: The last day of school for K-12 students and teachers
• June 28: Summer School begins
• July 28: The first day of the 2010-11 school year for year-round students
• Sept. 2: The first day of the 2010-11 school year for students on the traditional calendar

To access even more information, or to look ahead at 2010-11, click here.