State College Area approves 2023-2024 calendar that coincides with Grange Fair again

Keely Doll
·2 min read
Families hang out at their tents during the Centre County Grange Fair on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022.

Dec. 20 update: The State College Area school board unanimously voted to approve the proposed 2023-2024 calendar at its Dec. 19 meeting.

State College Area School District’s board of directors are set to vote on a 2023-24 school year calendar that has a start date that coincides with Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair.

The board discussed two possible calendars at its Monday night meeting, choosing to push a calendar with a start date of Tuesday, Aug. 22 to vote. Friday, Aug. 25 would also be off to accommodate students who want to participate in the Grange Fair, which will take place Aug. 18-26, 2023.

The district fielded many complaints from parents and community members in 2021 about how the current year’s calendar conflicts with the Grange Fair. Parents, students and community members spoke during public comment at meetings in 2021 asking the district to push its start date after the Grange Fair like other Centre County districts.

Organizers of the Grange Fair have also expressed frustration with the district in the past, even moving the fair dates in 2014 to accommodate the district, according to previous CDT reporting.

The proposed calendar 2023-24 means a short opening week for students, and board President Amber Concepcion was concerned about the impact on kindergartners, whose first day would be Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.

“I think that’s one of the things that really gives me pause about that three-day week, is knowing its a two-day week for our kids who are first learning,” Concepcion said.

The proposed calendar features a June 4, 2024 end date, a spring break that aligns with Penn State and days off for the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur and the Islamic holiday Eid al-Fitr.

“We have been hearing from families in the Jewish community for years now about the challenges of their children missing school continuously on those days,” Concepcion said.

The other proposed calendar had only Friday off for Grange Fair, a May 30, 2024 end date and no additional religious holidays.

The board is set to vote on the 2023-24 calendar at its Dec. 19 meeting.