The San Ramon Valley Unified School District is proposing a new schedule change that would end first semester before winter break.

The district is planning on starting and ending school earlier in order to accommodate this change, which could be implemented as early as the 2016-17 school  year.

The change would allow students to enjoy their winter break without worrying about studying for finals or feeling guilty for not studying.

“[The change] will give people a chance to chill out, as right now after winter break there’s only a few weeks before finals, and we can’t relax,” said senior Arman Sufi.

This plan is still in its earliest stages and there is still time for anyone to voice their concerns.

“Prior to any change being made, there would be many opportunities for parent, students, staff and community input,” said district spokeswoman Elizabeth Graswich.

A survey was emailed to most district staff and parents last month soliciting input. There is still at least one more school year to raise any questions before the change occurs for those who didn’t get to provide feedback.

“It is important to note that this conversation is regarding the 2016-2017 school year calendar at the very earliest,” Superintendent Mary Shelton was quoted as saying in an interview with danvillesanramon.com.

The school year was arranged the way it is now in order to accommodate for weather and climate patterns. But now it may be more beneficial to frame the schedule around students’ and teachers’ needs.

Most teachers seem to be in support of this change.

“I think it would save us wasted class time,” said history teacher Anja Wheeler. “I don’t like to start anything new before break. I can’t fit a unit in three weeks.”

For most teachers, the three weeks between break and finals become three weeks of review.

“I love [the idea] because it’ll give all of us breaks between the two semesters,” said chemistry teacher Irene Brewster.

Brewster added that the extra three weeks at the beginning of the year would be even more beneficial to AP students, as they get an extra three weeks of class time before the AP test, and school would end shortly after AP testing in May.

“Also, kids will have a better chance at getting summer jobs,” Brewster said.

The earlier end date of school will help students secure a job before they all get taken.

Most students generally approve of the proposed change.

“I think it’s a good idea, there’s no worry about finals during winter break, and it [serves as] a break between the semesters,” said sophomore Calvin Anderson.

Current sophomores would be the first grade that could be potentially impacted by this change. Although the juniors will not be experiencing the change, they also favor the idea.

“It’s a good idea because it’s a lot more logical,” said junior Jonathan Lee.

Seniors who have experienced four years of a fragmented first semester also generally agree that the proposal is a good one.

“Nobody studies over break,” said senior Dawn Ye.

Of course, there are cons to this measure as well.

“I like having two weeks to study before winter break,” said senior Ritika Srivastava, “but I can see why people might want the semester to end early.”

Aside from studying, there could also be scheduling conflicts.

“There might be a issue with summer camps because a lot of them are early to mid August,” said freshman Zoe Zhang, who attends a summer camp in Pleasanton.

Although the district will be working in conjunction with the community to adjust for any potential problems with summer programs, students who attend camps outside of the city would be out of luck.

One of the other problems standing in the way is how to transition between the current schedule and the new one, if it were to pass. Most likely, it would involve having a shorter summer – seven weeks instead of ten – the first year.

Questions about the new schedule are encouraged and should be addressed to CJ Cammack, the assistant superintendent of human resources, at [email protected] or called at 552-2923.