Canyons expands elementary planning time and 'brain booster' classes; survey shows benefits and scheduling challenges

SANDY, Utah — Canyons School District reported measurable classroom and instructional benefits from a districtwide schedule change that expanded elementary teacher planning time and lengthened “brain booster” enrichment blocks, while also flagging operational challenges principals must fix.

The district implemented the master‑schedule change last fall after a bargaining‑authorized task force recommended more protected elementary planning time. Directors told the board they increased weekly teacher planning to 280 minutes — a 120‑minute boost over the prior elementary baseline — by adding 10 minutes to the student day Monday through Thursday and creating 45‑minute brain booster classes for art, STEM, library and Playworks.

Why it matters: Teachers and students reported stronger lessons, deeper integration across subjects and better professional‑learning collaboration, but administrators and brain booster staff said transitions, staffing hours and recess adjacency created friction that requires schedule refinement.

Survey results and quotes District leaders shared results from a summer survey: almost half of classroom teachers responded, more than 80% of principals, about 70% of BTS (Beverly Taylor Sorensen) teachers and roughly half of instructional technicians. Respondents cited increased student engagement, improved lesson quality and better PLC work because teachers arrived with timely data. A kindergarten teacher told the district: “This is the best and most immediately impactful change I have had on a district level as an educator.” A fourth‑grade teacher said the extra planning time let her “sit down and look at data to determine what students are struggling [with] and create ways to scaffold instruction.”

Operational challenges School leaders and brain booster staff identified several recurring problems: - Transition windows that did not always allow adequate setup time between booster groups, especially when staff had to escort students to recess or return materials to classrooms. - Variations in allocated hours: some BTS teachers were still funded only for part‑time hours and ended up job‑sharing or rotating between weeks, which limited collaboration and continuity. - Scheduling constraints on small vs. large schools: consistent district allocations based on student counts sometimes left larger schools with higher per‑staff workloads. - Recess tied directly to booster blocks caused settling and behavior issues for some classes immediately after outdoor time.

Recommendations and follow‑up Survey respondents recommended more paid planning and collaboration time for instructional technicians and BTS staff, clearer transition protocols, dedicated substitute strategies for ESP staff, and stronger behavior supports. District leaders said they will continue refining master schedules, prioritize transition improvements and provide additional professional learning and behavioral training; they also asked principals to schedule routine booster‑team meetings.

Board discussion and next steps Board members praised early outcomes and asked staff to return with cost estimates and options for strengthening BTS staffing (for example, moving some BTS positions to full‑time or making BTS a stand‑alone program). Administrators said one‑time district funding had been used to add some hours for this year and invited the board to consider longer‑term funding if that becomes a priority.

Ending Administrators will monitor implementation during the school year, provide additional data about attrition and staffing and bring back model options and cost estimates for further board consideration.