The Star Valley School District superintendent proposed a two‑hour board work session on Oct. 1 to decide a preferred direction for a Star Valley unified calendar, presenting several draft calendar models and the operational trade-offs each would require.
Why this matters: the board asked the administration to return with specific data and options so trustees can give formal direction in October; a change in calendar would affect transportation, food service, staff work days and the district’s instructional-hour calculations.
Superintendent Erickson told the board he and his team had canvassed consultants and 47 other Wyoming districts and could not find a third‑party vendor to conduct the kind of comprehensive in‑depth study the district originally sought. One research firm provided a preliminary estimate of about $40,000 to perform that study, he said; instead, the superintendent recommended conducting the process in‑house because the district has staff and community expertise.
Administrators presented five draft calendar concepts: a true 4‑day week (with and without spring break), a 4/5 hybrid, a traditional 175‑day 5‑day calendar, and two “consistent‑Friday” options (first‑Friday or fourth‑Friday of each month in session). Each draft showed estimated instructional hours for elementary, middle and high schools and noted that some drafts would fall short of the state’s minimum instructional‑hour expectations unless the district lengthened school days, started earlier, or extended into June.
Key operational concerns raised by trustees and administrators:
- Transportation: lengthening days or changing start times would shift earliest bus pickups; administrators said a modest lengthening could move the first pickup at Alpine from 6:45 a.m. to about 6:35 a.m. and push activity buses later in the evening.
- Support staff and benefits eligibility: the district’s practice requires 1,110 annual hours to qualify for benefits; reducing student days could affect aides, food service and bus drivers unless the district restructures staff schedules.
- Athletics and extracurricular conflicts: some calendar options would overlap state athletic events (wrestling, playoffs) and spring break timing, creating scheduling trade-offs for families and coaches.
Board direction and next steps: trustees asked the administration to provide more operational detail — including bus ridership and route-time comparisons with Cokeville (a district that has used a 4‑day model) — and to publish the draft calendars and background materials for community review. The superintendent requested written questions and preferences from trustees and stakeholders so the administration can prepare targeted information for the Oct. 1 work session. He emphasized the board will not vote on a final calendar at that work session; the Oct. meeting will gather direction only, with a formal decision to come later.
Ending note: the district will publish the draft calendars and data to its website and will solicit community input in advance of the board’s Oct. 1 work session.