Board discusses calendar changes to add sustained professional development days and staff flexibility

The Silver Falls School District calendar committee and board discussed a proposed change to the 2025–26 school calendar that would shift from weekly one‑hour early releases to a mix of six half‑day releases and five one‑hour early releases to create sustained professional development opportunities.

Tony, the district's legal/policy representative, and district administrators told the board the goal is to provide deeper, sustained professional learning — particularly to support potential early‑literacy curriculum adoption — while preserving some weekly PLC or data‑analysis time for teachers. The calendar committee considered two models: (1) three full‑day releases and (2) six half‑day releases. The committee did not reach a consensus because members were concerned about preserving weekly PLC time and because the exact PD schedule depends on which curriculum the district adopts.

District leaders proposed a compromise: six half‑day teacher release days spread across the year plus five district‑scheduled one‑hour early releases. Staff calculated that the proposed mix would still provide more instructional seat time for students than the current model of weekly one‑hour releases.

Board members raised practical concerns, including childcare impacts for families, scheduling irregularities that could be confusing for parents, and the need for a clear community engagement process if the district were to consider more substantive changes such as a four‑day student week in the future. The committee also recommended that classified staff be included in the PD, noting instructional assistants' roles in early‑literacy work.

The item was presented as a discussion and will be posted for public comment; the board indicated it intends to adopt a calendar in a future meeting after review of feedback.