With the 2010-2011 school year racing to an end for Selma and Dallas County students, preparations are already under way for the next school year.

Earlier this year, the Selma City School Board approved the 2011-2012 school calendar that brings students back from their summer vacation for their first day of school on Monday, Aug. 8.

“My main goal was to ensure that both semesters were equal in building the calendars for next year,” Selma superintendent of education Donald Jefferson said. “This year, we ran into a situation where the first semester was 86 days long and the second semester 94 days long.”

According to Jefferson, the reason for wanting the even semesters was to give students at Selma High School the same number of days in each of their classes, as the school currently uses the block system of scheduling.

In this schedule, students take four classes each day and then switch schedules during the second semester.

“A lost day on the block schedule is like losing two days of instruction,” Jefferson said. “We wanted to make sure we gave the students the best chance for equal time in their classes.”

The one draw back to the calendar adopted by the board and endorsed by a majority of teachers and administrators, is that students will take first semester tests after their Christmas break.

The system will be closed Nov. 23 through Nov. 25 for the Thanksgiving break and will be out for the Christmas holiday break from Dec. 20 through Jan. 3, 2012.

Spring break for the Selma schools will be March 12 through March 16 and May 22 will mark the final day for students.

Students will have 180 instruction days in the calendar, while teachers will have 187 workdays in the proposal.