If the 2013-14 proposed school calendar looks familiar, that's because it was closely modeled after the current year's calendar, according to Dr. Brook Whitmire, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources.

The first day of school would once again fall on the second Wednesday of August and the last day would again be May 21, if approved by the Oconee County Board of Education.

"We're trying to promote consistency from one year to the next," Whitmire said at a meeting this week.

The calendar was designed based on input from staff, teachers, parents and students as well as data from previous years. It includes 178 days of instruction and allots for two potential furlough days, Nov. 1 and Jan. 2.

Here are some of the key dates on the proposed 2013-14 calendar:

• Possible New Employee Orientation Day:
• Pre-planning: Wednesday, July 31; Thursday -Tuesday, Aug. 1-2, 5-6
• Meet the Teacher: Monday, Aug. 5
• First day of school: Wednesday, Aug. 7
• Fall break: Monday -Tuesday, Oct. 14-15
• Thanksgiving Break: Wednesday -Friday, Oct. 27-29
• Holiday Break: Friday, Dec. 20-Thursday, Jan. 2
  
• Winter Break: Monday- Tuesday, Feb. 17-18
  
• Spring Break: Monday - Friday, April 7-11
  
• Last day of school: Wednesday, May 21
• Post-planning: Thursday-Friday,May 22-23
• Graduation: Saturday, May 24

The complete draft of the calendar is attached as a pdf. It has been tabled until the Board's Dec. 10 meeting to allow for further feedback from the public.