The 2017-18 year for Roaring Fork Schools would still start after Labor Day, but would not end as late as first proposed under a plan before the district school board today.

The school district recently analyzed feedback from a survey that went out before the holiday break and determined that it would be best to end the school year as early as possible in June 2018, while still delaying the start of school for nearly two weeks in order to allow time for adjustments to the Grand Avenue bridge detour that will be in place starting Aug. 14.

School would start the day after Labor Day, on Sept. 5, and the year would end on June 8 under the latest proposal. The plan will be discussed and voted on during the regular school board meeting at 5:30 p.m. today at the District Office in Glenwood Springs.

The end date is four school days sooner than originally proposed but still two days later into June than normal.

Several people responded in the surveys that ending the school year on June 14 would cut into family vacations, summer jobs, camps and other activities. There’s also the usual end-of-year “burnout” for both students and teachers to contend with, according to a summary of the responses.

To make up for those days at the end of the school year, the district proposes to eliminate some mid-year days off. Those would include a fall break day in October, an April 27 holiday, and student days off during the fall and spring parent-teacher conferences.

The proposed calendar maintains the required 174 days of school for students, while still accomplishing the district’s plan to delay the start of the school year, according to district officials.

Delaying the start of the school year is seen as a way to minimize the adverse impacts on students and staff from both the Grand Avenue bridge closure and resulting detour of Colorado 82 traffic and due to major construction on school facilities that will be wrapping up about that same time.

The bridge closure to allow for completion of the new bridge will result in a 95-day detour of highway and cross-town traffic starting Aug. 14. The detour route will go from Interstate 70 Exit 114 along Midland Avenue and Eighth Street back to Grand Avenue.

“Roaring Fork Schools has been working closely with the Colorado Department of Transportation and the city of Glenwood Springs to plan for these impacts,” according to a district press release put out before the holidays.

“CDOT supports the proposed school delay, because it will allow more time for all commuters to adjust to the closure without school traffic, as well as more time for the district to study the traffic impact and adapt our transportation plans accordingly.”

The planned delay will also give the school district extra time to adjust for school construction that will be wrapping up from Glenwood Springs to Basalt, including the new Riverview School and the Glenwood Springs Elementary School building addition.