JAY — Regional School Unit 73 Board of Directors Thursday, May 12, approved school days for next year but tabled a decision on when professional development time would occur.

Opening days, seminars and teacher workshops are the same, Superintendent Scott Albert said. The district is in alignment with Foster Career and Technical Education Center, there can be five dissimilar days and there are three, he noted.

One proposal for next year kept the late arrivals currently in place to allow for professional development opportunities for staff. The new one includes early releases instead.

Some staff mentioned the idea to Albert.

“A couple hours would be beneficial compared to the late arrival,” he said. “Trying to work across different buildings, an hour is not a lot of time.”

Surveys were sent to staff and parents, Albert said. Among staff members, 99 of the 169 responding preferred 11:30 a.m. early dismissals almost every other Wednesday throughout the year with professional development time set to start at 12:30 p.m. The remaining 70 responses were evenly split between keeping late arrivals and no preference.

For parents, of the 373 responses, 165 preferred early releases, 124 favored late arrivals and 84 had no preference. There were 71 comments with many noting early dismissal would be a challenge with work schedules and childcare. Some felt the every other Wednesday would be confusing. The impact for students involved in extracurricular activities and how it would the after-school program were also mentioned. Some preferred early releases on Fridays.

For students attending Foster CTE Center Albert said he checked with transportation and spots can be set up to drop those students off similar to what the late buses do. He noted TJ Plourde, the high school principal said a lot of the Foster students are juniors and seniors who provide their own transportation. Those students would miss part of their fourth period class but there are no concerns at this point according to Plourde, Albert added.

“We are not going to cut time at Foster [CTE Center],” Albert stressed. Those students need those hours for certifications, classifications, he noted.

A study hall could be offered at the high school if students involved in after school activities have no way to get back for them, Albert said. Some coaches might be able to start early depending on their work commitments, he added.

The 21st Century program through Franklin County Children’s Task Force – already in place for kindergarten through grade eight – could be expanded according to program coordinator Doug Saunders, Albert said. Saunders indicated a couple more staff could be brought in, he added.

Director Patrick Milligan asked if pilot testing could be done.

“The goal is to do it for a year,” Albert said. “I think it would be more difficult for parents to switch during the middle of the year.”

Director Joel Pike said he is all for professional development. One of his biggest concerns is the number of instruction hours missed.

The early releases would result in 33 hours lost instruction time, Albert said Thursday but in a later email said his figures were not correct. In an email Friday he wrote, “The calendar that has the late arrival option uses 40.5 hours of academic time for professional development. The calendar that has the early dismissal option uses 50 hours of academic time.”

Letting kids sleep in an extra hour midweek was a benefit, Pike said. “I like what we have now,” he added.

Director Elaine Fitzgerald said Turner has done early dismissals the last three years, she has heard no complaints. She has worked with both while teaching, she noted.

“Staff can accomplish so much more with two hours,” Fitzgerald stressed. In the morning their heads are in the classroom already, she noted. “Look at this from the benefit of the teachers which benefits our students,” she added.

Director Brandi Galgano noted there were 20 half days in the proposed calendar and some months with three scheduled. She asked if there were a way to reduce those numbers so there would be less impact on parents and their daycare concerns.

Director Chantelle Woodcock asked if a two-hour delay would be a weird thing. The biggest concern of parents is after school, of teachers is getting a two-hour chunk for professional development, she said.

“Anything can be talked about,” Albert said. “Kids at Foster [CTE Center] would have to come in early.”

“Three [early dismissals] a month may be too many,” Fitzgerald said. She asked if a decision on professional development times could be tabled to give administrators time to look at alternatives. Her suggestion was accepted and unanimously approved.

Opening day for the 2022-23 school year will be Sept. 1 for most students. Pre-kindergarten students will start Sept. 8.