A proposal to extend summer break at public schools by two weeks is gaining momentum.

The state Board of Education's Regular Education Committee approved the plan on Tuesday and sent it to the full board.

The change would take effect in the 2009-10 school year. To make up for the longer summer vacation, the winter and spring breaks would be shortened by one week each.

The summer break, which had traditionally been about 11 weeks, was shortened to seven weeks two years ago.

Some have argued the shorter summer break doesn't leave time for adequate summer school for students or professional development for teachers.

"We have a lot of students who need that extra time to make up classes," said Karen Knudsen, vice chairwoman of the BOE.

She said that over the past several years fewer schools have been offering summer school. Currently there are some 5,600 students in some type of credit make-up program, according to the state Department of Education.

"That's a wake-up call to the department considering we only graduate about 10,000 seniors a year," Knudsen said.

When the shortened seven-week summer break first took effect two years ago, parents and teachers expressed concern that it could decrease summer school opportunities, said Bob Campbell, director of program support and development for the DOE. Teachers were also concerned that the shortened summer would decrease professional development opportunities.

While the focus of the calendar changes tends to be on summer break, Campbell said that one advantage of a shorter spring break is students will have more time to prepare for standardized tests, such as the Hawaii State Assessment and Advanced Placement exams.

The Hawaii State Assessment measures progress under the federal No Child Left Behind program.

"This will add about 6 percent more instructional time prior to the HSA," Campbell said.

BENEFIT FOR TEACHERS

Under the current school calendar, students receive a one-week break in the fall, a three-week break in the winter and a two-week break in the spring.

The new proposal means the summer break would start around Memorial Day.

"What that does for teachers (is) they could actually get enrolled in the first summer session at the University of Hawai'i. That's never been possible before," Campbell said.

The proposal still needs to be discussed before the full board. The earliest that could happen would be next month, officials said.

James Schlosser, principal at Kalaheo High School, said the shortened summer has made it difficult for his school to recruit teachers to instruct summer courses.

"We are squeezed by that because teachers appreciate having a little time off and we don't want to burn them out. It is more difficult to find qualified teachers in the summer," Schlosser said.

'TIME TO REPLENISH'

Suzanne Mulcahy, principal of Kailua Intermediate School, said she has mixed feelings about the proposed changes. While she believes the shortened summer has decreased summer school options for students, she doesn't believe the solution should be to shorten the other breaks throughout the year.

"Teachers are burnt out because they have more and more things that are being added to their already full plate," Mulcahy said. "I worry about teachers having ample time to replenish," she said.

Mulcahy said her school does offer students a chance to take summer school classes to make up what they may have failed. But with the shorter summer, and limited financial resources, the school has not offered other summer "enrichment" classes or programs.

"A longer summer would increase the opportunities for kids ... but it could affect my school budget," Mulcahy said.

Fewer schools are offering traditional summer school to their students, Cox said. About 75 schools offered summer school four years ago. That's down to about 40 schools this year.

Board member Maggie Cox said the changes are intended to maximize student achievement.

"We're not looking at more fun or more relaxation," Cox said. "We're looking at coming up with ways to help our kids achieve more."