Park Hill amends calendar to meet new minimum student-contact requirement under Senate Bill 727

District staff reviewed the district’s inclement-weather makeup plan at the March 20 meeting and described calendar amendments intended to comply with Senate Bill 727, which requires a minimum of 169 student-contact days.

Staff said the district had 12 inclement-weather days this year and used five AMI (alternate methods of instruction) days. To meet the statutory minimum and to finish the regular school session before June, staff proposed, and the board approved at a prior work session, changes that include converting an April 18 workday to a student-contact day, switching an upcoming half work day into a full virtual day, and adding student-contact days following Memorial Day with a teacher work day on the 30th. Staff emphasized the need to preserve a summer-school prep day negotiated in the teachers’ agreement and to minimize conflicts with planned summer construction in five district buildings.

The district told the board it would remain compliant with Senate Bill 727 under this amended plan and that comparable districts in the region are taking similar approaches. Staff noted that the statute defines a minimum number of days but does not set a minimum number of daily hours, allowing some flexibility for half or early-release days to count as student-contact days. Officials said they expect state-level legislative discussion about calendar rules next year but do not expect immediate statewide relief for the current year.

Board members asked clarifying questions about how the plan affects summer school start dates and construction schedules; staff said summer school is scheduled to begin the week of June 2 and that the amended calendar provides the best balance of instructional time and construction access. No additional board vote was required at the meeting because the calendar amendments had been discussed and amended at an earlier work session.