Board approves 2025'26 school calendar with shorter student year and 10-minute longer days

The Fort Atkinson Board of Education on Thursday approved the district's 2025'26 school calendar, trimming student contact days to 175 from the current 179, adding 10 minutes to each school day and establishing Friday, June 5, 2026, as the tentative last day of classes for students.

Administration told the board the 10 extra minutes would be districtwide and that specific timing would be set to accommodate bus schedules; the change is intended to preserve overall instructional minutes while reducing the number of student contact days. The calendar also designates Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday for all students and staff and establishes full records days for certified staff at the end of quarters.

Why it matters: The calendar shifts were proposed to secure additional professional development time for staff, create dedicated preparation days at the beginning and end of the year, and align the district's schedule with comparable area districts while maintaining required instructional minutes under state rules.

Board discussion: Board members asked how the district would handle more than three inclement-weather days. Administration said the calendar preserves three built-in inclement days in line with past practice; if additional make-up days are needed the district can add minutes to days, use reserve minutes, or adjust the end-of-year date. The superintendent emphasized that student safety, not calendar convenience, guides closure decisions.

Action: The board passed a resolution to adopt the calendar; the motion was made and seconded and approved by the board.

Ending: The district will publish the calendar publicly and open registration and planning materials for families in coming days.