Break scheduling causes conflict

Some students are concerned. This year TCC’s spring break is March 7-14, a week that does not coincide with many area school districts.
The schedule conflict will cause problems for many TCC students, faculty and staff who have children.
TCC’s policy states that children are not permitted in classes or testing centers and should not be left unattended on college property at any time. Therefore, parents will need to find alternative care, forgo family vacations and cancel planned family outings. For students who cannot afford day care or babysitters, the alternative may be cutting classes to stay home with their children.
The Fort Worth Independent School District has scheduled spring break for March 13-21 as has both Arlington and HEB ISDs, the districts most likely to affect TCC students, staff and faculty.
Erma Johnson Hadley, vice chancellor of administration, said area school districts are looked at closely.
“Those are the dates they [area school districts] were planning,” she said about the current spring break dates for TCC. “For whatever reason, they [area school districts] changed.”
“A big concern is older students with children. We do try to match,” Bill Lace, executive assistant to the chancellor, said. “It is my understanding that other schools changed their schedules.”
According to Lace, the district has a master calendar, which students never see, that designates certain deadlines for instructors and administration.
Hadley explained that the master calendar was set early this year to meet a printing deadline and to be ready for early registration information.
The calendar goes through the office of admissions as well as the presidents of each campus, and in the end the calendar must be approved by the TCC Board of Trustees.
Lace explained that the schedule does involve input and discussion from many different TCC personnel.
“It’s always risky,” he said. ‘We want to have spring break on the same week as other schools.”
Hadley explained that once a schedule goes to print, it is not easy to change because of the sheer volume of students in credit and non-credit courses.
In the interest of the students, staff and faculty at TCC who have children, the decision should be made later in order to match public school schedules.
“Next time we will wait till we are sure,” Hadley said. “Most of the time we line up.”
Hadley said that next year the Web site will have dates posted before the calendar is printed.
“We will not adopt a calendar so early next time,” she said. “We just flat messed up.”
Hadley expressed concern for those affected by the schedule and said the issue pains TCC administration.
“Hopefully, the students won’t hang us in effigy,” she said.
The risky business of putting together a calendar has caused conflicts this year, but we hope time and the calendar will change the situation next year.