District 51 presents plan for weekly early-release Fridays at middle and high schools

Superintendent Dr. Brian Hill and secondary leaders presented a multi-year plan March 25 for a weekly early-release Friday across District 51 middle and high schools to create regular time for professional learning, MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support) meetings and building-level planning.

Leaders said early release would not shorten the school week but would reallocate time: Fridays would have shorter periods so students still meet curriculum requirements while staff use a predictable, sustained two‑hour block for collaboration, data review and targeted student supports. "The need for time hasn’t lessened," Palisade Principal Dan Bollinger told the board, and middle- and high-school principals described weekly early release as a way to make coaching, data cycles and consistent instructional practices feasible.

District staff cited several rounds of stakeholder input. A 2023 parent/community survey showed about 77% favorability for a secondary early-release model; a December 2024 building-administrator survey returned about 91% support; and a February 2025 teacher survey collected 572 respondents with a majority in favor across middle and high schools (the presentation said roughly 71% support among a subset of middle-school respondents). District staff said about 1,000 parents and community members answered the earlier survey and that administrators and principals had discussed plans with school accountability committees.

Staff proposed a calendar change for the coming school year that would swap two middle-school in-service days for two additional student instructional days so the district does not lose instructional time overall. The district intends to finalize logistics by April 1 and implement the schedule in fall, staff said, adding that transportation adjustments had been coordinated with the bus contractor and that career-center and concurrent-enrollment impacts were considered.

Principals who spoke during the presentation and in public comment said weekly early release helps sustain instructional improvement because quarterly professional development is too infrequent to support classroom change. "Imagine each week really being mapped out. So it's predictable," one presenter said. Career-center Principal Todd McClaskey said a uniform early-release day would reduce schedule conflicts that currently remove students from CTE programming on different days at different high schools.

Board members asked about families who rely on older siblings for childcare and about impacts to athletics and internships; presenters said some families view early release as a benefit for older students’ internships or work-based learning but acknowledged the model will not suit every family without additional community supports. The board was not asked to vote March 25 but was told the next step is a calendar vote; staff asked the board to consider the proposed swap of two in-service days for student instructional days and to finalize a decision at the board’s next meeting. Staff said principals have been planning and would be ready to implement if the board approves the calendar change.