District proposes 15‑minute elementary‑day extension, adds social‑science ‘special’ and LIS schedule changes

Liz Wendell, executive director of teaching and learning for Aurora West USD 129, told the board Feb. 18 that a district committee recommends modest changes to the elementary instructional day aligned to the recent HMH literacy adoption.

The nut graf: The committee proposes a 15‑minute extension to the elementary day to add literacy minutes, create districtwide social‑science specials (K–5) staffed by new FTEs, formalize LIS (library/information specialist) time as a specials rotation, and reconfigure intervention blocks so both math and reading intervention can be offered consistently during the week.

Wendell said the committee included bilingual, blended, special-education and specials staff as well as restorative-practice coaches and that the proposed schedule is a draft intended to balance literacy, math, SEL and state content requirements. Under the proposal, elementary start time would shift to 7:50 a.m.; dismissal would be 2:25 p.m., which represents a 15‑minute student-day extension. She said the proposal would not change middle- or high-school start times.

Wendell said creating a social-science special K–5 would require adding FTEs similar to art or music specialists. “By doing this, we are not only supporting and honoring the work of our specials teachers, but we're also creating a structure that will allow our classroom teachers to really focus in on math, literacy, and social emotional learning,” she said.

The district seeks to formalize LIS time (library/technology/research instruction) as a specials rotation so students have consistent access to library services and inquiry instruction; in that model the classroom teacher would not accompany the class during the LIS special, and the LIS period would serve as part of the teacher’s plan time.

On intervention, the committee recommends a reconfigured block (40 minutes in the draft) that could be divided by subject each day or split across days (for example, math on Monday/Wednesday and reading on Tuesday/Thursday) to better match student needs. Wendell said math core instruction with Investigations remains at 70 minutes (55 minutes in kindergarten) and that the proposed shifts preserve that core time while reallocating intervention minutes.

Wendell and district leaders said they vet transportation feasibility with the transportation department and that the proposed calendar would move to an A–E rotating day model so special rotations remain evenly distributed when holidays or days off occur. They also described plans to extend bilingual continuity, add middle-school slack and expand some CTE programming. Finance staff said much of the initial cost of the social-science specialists could be covered by retirements, staffing shifts and reallocation, though additional items remain on a wish list requiring budget work.

Board members asked about monitoring outcomes, space constraints for specials, teacher workday adjustments (recommended shift to 7:35 a.m. start for teachers with day end at 3:20 p.m.) and plans for parent and staff outreach. Wendell said clinician and district teams will pursue additional professional development and present further details in coming months, and that the district will consult AAW (Aurora Association of West staff) on the teacher-workday timing.

Ending: District leaders said the changes are intended to align literacy adoption with schedule reality and to give classroom teachers clearer instructional roles; they plan further outreach to parent groups and staff and to return with resource and budget proposals later in the spring.