Haddonfield School District officials presented a proposed school-year calendar and construction timeline that aims to protect classroom-ready dates by setting Aug. 31 as the substantial‑completion target for the largest high‑school projects, with some smaller items — including certain vestibule work — scheduled as late as Sept. 2.

The district said the calendar is designed to give contractors more time, which staff said should increase the number of bidders and reduce costs tied to overtime and rushed work. District staff also said they expect bid submissions for the project to arrive the next day at 10 a.m., following a pre‑bid meeting that drew multiple contractors.

Why it matters: the board is trying to align construction milestones with the start of professional development days and the school year to limit classroom disruption. Planners told the board that making Aug. 31 the primary substantial‑completion date — and allowing a Sept. 2 finish for lower‑impact tasks — gives the construction team an extra week compared with earlier calendar options.

District presenter Mister Klaus described the Aug. 31 date as “the key one” and said the schedule was the latest date the district could safely propose for substantial completion. Board members asked staff to return the calendar for a first reading at the next regular meeting.

Staff argued the added time will likely increase competition for bids and reduce the need for overtime, which in turn may lower total project costs. During the work session staff noted that prior fast‑tracked work required weekend labor and higher costs, and said lessons learned from earlier phases informed the new schedule.

On bidding, staff said multiple contractors attended the pre‑bid meeting and that third‑party services sometimes publish wide cost ranges that can deter potential bidders. To attract appropriately scoped bids, staff said they will provide appropriate guidance about the project’s scale and constraints without publishing internal budget figures.

Discussion and next steps: the presenter said he would place the calendar on next week’s agenda for first reading unless additional significant concerns surfaced. The board also expects staff to finalize marking periods and school‑level dates after meetings with building principals.

The board did not take a formal vote on the calendar during the work session; staff were directed to return the proposal for first reading at the next meeting and to receive and evaluate incoming bids.