August 14, 2023
Greetings,
I hope you have had a relaxing summer break and are able to enjoy these final days before the start of another school year.
I apologize for the length of this letter but during the last week I have had the opportunity to speak with several community members and, of course, much of the discussion centered around the release of our 2023-24 school calendar that included the addition of Early Release days. I understand how this change has caused many parents concern, especially those who are trying to make arrangements for childcare. I am not without empathy for your situation and feel I owe all of you more detail on our plans moving forward and background on how this change occurred.
First, I have asked my administrative team to develop a plan allowing us to delay the start of our Early Release Tuesdays so they would begin in October not September. It is our hope this extra month will provide families more time to adjust schedules and make arrangements to accommodate the early dismissal time. Second, we are exploring a way to create an “Extended Day Option” at each school to accommodate parents who are unable to pick up their child. I hope to share more details on this solution very soon.
Knowing that students, parents, staff, and community members need the school calendar for planning, the district has always made communicating the upcoming calendar a priority. For several years the process for developing the school calendar would begin around November or December when the district and teachers union would begin discussions. This would typically result in having an agreed upon calendar around February giving the community almost a seven month notification before the start of the school year. For this round of negotiations the timeline was delayed. I know this is not the ideal way to share the change to our school calendar, but I offer a bit of background information in hopes that it will help in understanding the process.
The district’s administrative team began exploring the idea of an early release model to replace late starts and half-days during the 2021-22 school year. The reason for considering this option was in response to administrators and teachers asking that changes be made in order to have a highly functioning Professional Learning Community (PLC).* The PLC process provides staff with time to work in grade level or subject area teams to plan and develop strategies that support and improve student achievement.
In spring 2022 surveys were sent to parents asking if they would be in support of early dismissal. Results showed that 63% of parents (2,132 respondents) were in support of the weekly early dismissal as opposed to the current late start and half days. The administrative team requested all buildings send representatives, including classroom teachers and support staff, to participate in initial planning sessions as a means to gather feedback and considerations for the early release idea. This group met on March 9, 2022 to discuss the potential of moving to this model. The group also made special note that early dismissal should be implemented district wide to ensure consistency and structure at every school. All of this information was shared with the entire Board of Education.
Administration approached the teachers union about starting the early release for the 2022-23 school year. At that time it was determined the topic should be part of contract negotiations as there were many details to work through. The early release days support teachers by providing them focused and collaborative planning time during the workday eliminating the stress and burnout that comes when teachers have to meet on their own time after a full school day. Professional Learning Community (PLC) time embedded in the school day also aligns with research-based best practices. This, along with increases in salaries, is part of an overall effort to recruit new and retain our current outstanding certified teachers.
Again, I understand the frustration by some parents about this change to the calendar and when it was shared. Although the timing may not have been ideal, the overall benefit for making this change is worth doing. Being able to have our instructional staff meet on a consistent and structured basis will provide them with the time they need to have meaningful dialogue that will lead to instructional improvements, academic gains, and social/emotional support for students. The Board of Education, the teachers union, and our administrative team all agree that this change will be beneficial for our students, bring about best practices in instruction, and make our schools an even better place for students to thrive, grow, and learn.
Look forward to seeing everyone in a few weeks,
Glenn Maleyko, Ph.D.
Superintendent
*The Professional Learning Communities (PLC) model is a systematic process in which teachers work together to analyze their overall practices including what they teach, student learning outcomes, how they respond when students learn or do not learn. The goal of the PLC model is to guarantee systemic implementation of highest leverage strategies that will result in positive building culture and increased student achievement. In order for this process to be productive, teacher teams must meet frequently for an extended period of time (two to three hours uninterrupted/weekly yields best results).