District teachers and administrators propose weekly 40‑minute Monday early release for professional learning; district will survey families

A district committee made up of teachers, union representatives and administrators presented a consolidated plan on June 2 for weekly professional learning that would replace the district's existing half‑day Wednesdays and twice‑monthly after‑school meetings. The group recommended a 40‑minute early release on Mondays for elementary, magnet, middle and Rice schools and a small set of full‑day releases for Park and JEH early‑childhood programs.

Committee members said the model increases regular team planning time while reducing the number of extended after‑school meetings. The proposal keeps four institute days annually but shifts one institute day into August (three pre‑service days) and schedules 31 weekly Monday sessions across the school year. "We got to essentially this idea, what we think of as the secret sauce, which is a 40‑minute early release on Monday," said Chris Robinson, principal and a member of the committee.

A staff survey of district employees returned roughly 300 responses showing general support but flagged concerns, including paras' access to professional learning, after‑school child care for families on early‑release days, and scheduling for related services. The committee recommended continued negotiations with paraprofessionals' bargaining groups and coordination with community child‑care partners (for example, the YMCA and Right at School) to ensure Monday coverage; staff said some partners already run similar early‑release care at other districts.

Committee chairs said implementation would be staged. They proposed communicating options to families this summer, surveying parents about child‑care needs, and returning a finalizeable calendar for the 2026–27 school year once the board has reviewed the proposed calendar. "We want to make sure families are hearing directly from us that this is a possibility for, again, not next school year, but the following school year," a committee chair said.

Board members asked staff to share a family‑facing communication and a schedule showing how the model affects start/end times, daily minutes and after‑school programming; staff said they will return with more detail. The committee sought no immediate approval and will continue stakeholder work through summer.