By: Caroline Utz

It’s official. New Albany-Floyd County School Corporation is moving toward a balanced calendar.  

According to the News and Tribune, the board of trustees unanimously approved both the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 calendars Monday.  While the total switch to year-round school will not happen until the 2013-2014 school year, next year’s calendar will act as a transitional period to help  students adjust to an non-traditional school calendar.

The 2012-2013 calendar does not present much of a change, but does introduce a week-long break after each quarter while keeping the traditional two-week break for the holidays. Students will start school on August 6 and end on May 22. Traditional days off such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day and President’s Day remain snow make-up days.

The 2013-2014 calendar more closely resembles year-round school as there is one week of no school followed by a week of intercession. Designed for under-performing students, intercessions would only require the attendance of students who need extra help. The remaining students would have a two-week break.

Funding is said to be an issue when it comes to a balanced calendar. While state funding is expected to drop 3.5 million for New Albany-Floyd County next year, according to the News and Tribune, more money is needed to pay for teachers, transportation, and school building expenses during intercessions.