District 102 administrators on June 12 reviewed the development and planned monitoring of a new bell schedule for Park Junior High that creates a daily “flex” period intended for targeted academic support, enrichment and executive‑functioning skill work.

Superintendent staff and Park administrators said the schedule—which the board approved earlier in the year—aims to ensure students see English, math, science and social studies every day, add time for executive functioning and create scheduled opportunities for teacher collaboration and data‑driven interventions.

Chris (Park administration) told the board the schedule is the product of more than a year of staff work, site visits and strategic planning and that the district’s goals included adding daily core content time, improving support structures and creating consistent professional learning time for teachers. “We set off with a couple different specific goals… to add four content areas to the daily life of a student,” the presenter said.

Staff acknowledged concerns from parents and teachers that the schedule reduces weekly instructional minutes for ELA and math in some grade bands and that communications about the change were not always timely. “They’re concerned that we have instructional minutes reduced in language arts and math by about 38%,” Chris said, referring to parent feedback received after district communications. The district said some academic minutes were reallocated to increase social studies and science instruction by roughly 18% and to create the flex/support period and extended advisory time.

To address concerns, the administration proposed a monitoring plan: regular data reports (including participation data from the flex system, MAP scores and other academic indicators), added climate and student surveys, scheduled community engagement meetings and updates to the board. Chris proposed reporting academic and participation metrics at least twice a year and said monthly updates on flex usage are available via the vendor’s analytics.

Board members pressed for earlier checkpoints and clearer metrics. One board member asked administrators to return in August with a plan for when and how the board will review early indicators. Administration agreed that early, leading indicators and quarter‑by‑quarter grade snapshots can be part of an accelerated check‑in schedule.

Administrators said implementation details include: teacher training, a PowerSchool‑enabled selection and attendance process for flex, and explicit plans for parents to override or guide their child’s flex selection when appropriate. For students who miss the opt‑in window, the plan calls for teams to assign a support or enrichment placement and then check the student’s status the following week.

No board vote was required at the meeting. Board members and staff said they will continue community engagement, survey students and staff, and present monitoring reports to the board during the 2025–26 school year.

Ending: The administration defended the schedule as aligned with district strategic goals and promised frequent updates and data reporting; parents and some board members said they want faster monitoring and clearer communication about instructional minutes and student outcomes.