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Work has begun on the coming year's school calendar - a joint effort between Living Sky School Division and Light of Christ Catholic School Division - and no drastic change is anticipated. However, there is a possibility that future years could see students once again back to school before the Labour Day weekend.

Randy Fox, director of education for Living Sky School Division, told board of education members recently it appears the Ministry of Education will be bringing forward an amendment to the Education Act that would allow for students to begin school prior Labour Day.

It seems Labour Day in 2015 falls on the Sept. 7, meaning students wouldn't be able to begin school until Sept. 8. Labour Day is always the first Monday of September. A late Labour Day will occur again in 2020.

If opposition agrees, the amendment could happen in the near year to year and a half, said Fox.

The regulation was first changed at the beginning of 2012, resulting in the 2012-13 school year beginning after Labour Day.

Then education minister Donna Harpauer said as the legislation was introduced in December of 2013, "This change will mean that students and their families can fully enjoy the last long weekend of summer, as they do in other provinces including British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario."

With the changes to legislation, the earliest students could begin the school year is the first day following Labour Day and the latest day in the year students could be in school is June 30. Boards of education were to continue to set specific timelines for the opening and closing date of schools, school hours of operation and the autonomy to have teachers begin working prior to Labour Day to prepare for the school year.

The Living Sky/Light of Christ school calendars for 2012-13 did bring teachers back before the long weekend. The 2013-14 school calendar also had to take into account a new requirement to ensure students received 950 hours of instructional time, rather than the less specific 197 days.