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Board postpones district calendar approval after debate over January professional‑development days and absenteeism
Summary
Trustees deferred approval of the 2025‑26 school calendars to next month and directed staff to gather additional input on moving two January professional‑development days. Debate centered on whether a long January break encourages chronic absenteeism and on balancing instructional minutes and teachers’ professional learning.
The Douglas County School District Board of Trustees postponed action on the proposed 2025‑26 school calendars after extended discussion about the timing of two professional‑development days and concerns over chronic absenteeism.
Ashley Mitchell, the district employee who led calendar development, described the process and changes in the drafts presented to trustees. She said staff and community surveys showed support for consolidating district professional‑development days into two consecutive days and for placing them at the end of first semester; 73.8% of surveyed staff supported holding the two‑day professional development forum at mid‑semester. The calendar drafts also preserved existing October and February breaks, and Douglas High School requested three half days at the end of the school year for finals.
Why it matters: Calendar placement affects instructional minutes, family schedules and district testing windows. Several trustees and parents said a four‑ or five‑day gap around holiday periods could contribute to chronic absenteeism; others cited the need for consistent professional learning time for teachers.
Points of tension - Teachers favored two consecutive PD days near semester midpoint so staff can attend district forum and then return to their sites with materials to implement. Trustees and parents worried that positioning PD days right after winter break (or creating an extra short week in January) could encourage families to take additional time away from school, worsening chronic absenteeism. - State process and timing: Mitchell said the calendar must be submitted to the Nevada Department of Education for approval and that the district expects feedback and iterative reviews; the district told trustees the NDE’s initial calendar guidance would allow the board about a month to finalize details before the state’s May 1st submission deadline.
Board action After prolonged discussion and several proposed scheduling alternatives, Trustee Marcus Zenke moved (seconded) to postpone the calendar item to February and ask the superintendent’s office to gather additional feedback from teachers and the district’s employee association (DCPEA) specifically about moving the January PD days (currently proposed for Jan. 20–21) to Jan. 26–27. The motion passed unanimously.
Next steps Superintendent Mister Alvarado will bring teacher feedback and any recommended changes back to the board in February. The board directed staff to gather input through the scheduled DCPEA meeting and other outreach so trustees can finalize a calendar before the state’s review process advances.
Ending Trustees said the postponement gives district staff more time to reconcile teacher professional‑development preferences with instructional‑minute requirements, testing schedules and community concerns about absenteeism.
