Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Calendar topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board hears changes to academic calendar; elementary conferences shifted, secondary gets added school day
Summary
District staff described calendar adjustments agreed with union leaders that shift elementary grading and conference days, keep two October conference days for elementary and make one an instructional day for secondary to meet seat‑time requirements.
District staff outlined calendar adjustments for the 2025–26 school year during the Sept. 9 meeting, changes developed in collaboration with union representatives to improve parent‑teacher communication and protect state instructional‑time requirements.
The key changes affect elementary and secondary schedules differently. Elementary conferences remain two days Oct. 16–17; the December 5 no‑student day will be used for elementary professional development and grading rather than a reporting deadline, and an elementary grading/prep day will fall on Feb. 13 with conferences moved to March 13. Staff said the changes give elementary teachers more classroom evidence to discuss during conferences and reduce reliance on early trimester marks that often read “does not meet.”
Secondary schools will have one previously scheduled conference day returned to instruction in October. Staff explained that secondary families can view real‑time grades on ParentVUE, so evening conferences draw lower traffic than elementary conferences; returning the day to instructional time provides an extra day that helps the district meet Oregon Division 22 student‑hour requirements and creates weather‑day cushion.
Board members asked about transportation impacts, reuse of furlough days (staff said a previously held furlough day on Jan. 5 could be reclaimed and its PD shifted if needed) and how early‑year diagnostics provide assessment data for conferences. Union vice president Andrea Nickel said teachers and union leaders collaborated on the calendar and supported the changes. Staff committed to clarifying language on district materials to identify “elementary (K–5)” and “secondary (6–12)” to avoid confusion.
No formal board action was taken; staff said they had previously adopted a calendar and that the current adjustments follow negotiations and will be communicated to families and bus providers.
