Board approves 2026–28 staff calendars with change moving January staff development day; vote 6-1

The Clark County School District Board of Trustees on Aug. 28 approved new staff calendars for the 2026–27 and 2027–28 school years, endorsing the superintendent’s recommended Option 1 with a single amendment to move a January staff development day to the start of the second semester. The motion passed 6 to 1.

Human resources staff presented three calendar packages: the original calendars submitted in April (items 3.02 b and c) and two revised versions reflecting superintendent recommendations (3.02 d–g). Assistant Human Resources Officer Jason Ganoza and Director Brian Redmond reviewed differences among versions, including start dates (some options start students on a Thursday), Thanksgiving break length (original three‑day Thanksgiving vs. a full five‑day week in revised version 1), and winter break length (original two‑week/10‑day break vs. an 8‑day break in revised version 2).

Staff described tradeoffs for high schools: semester length must meet Carnegie‑unit/credit requirements (roughly 88 instructional days per semester), which constrains where calendar days can be added or removed. The calendar committee, support‑professionals calendar committee and the teachers’ union (CCEA) expressed preferences for different versions; CCEA indicated a preference for version 1. Staff said some districts that start midweek (for example, Los Angeles Unified and Miami‑Dade) have not seen negative first‑day attendance impacts in preliminary comparisons.

Trustees and members of the public raised several concerns during the extended discussion: potential effects on support staff pay if Thanksgiving becomes a full week off (nine‑month employees could see smaller paychecks), overlap of exams and AP testing, child‑care availability during an extended Thanksgiving week, heat and facility readiness for earlier August start dates, and outreach to parents. Staff said they would coordinate with county and city partners and notify community partners in advance so childcare services could be scheduled if needed.

Multiple public speakers urged different policies during public comment: parents and community members advocated for moving staff development days to the beginning of the semester to give educators prep time, asked for broader parent outreach on the calendar, and urged the board to consider impacts on student exams and extracurricular schedules. After debate, Trustee Villasati moved to approve Option 1 with the change to move the January staff development day; Trustee Cavazos seconded. The motion passed 6 to 1; the transcript does not record individual roll‑call votes.

Staff said the district will continue work with committees, unions and parent outreach, and noted May 1 is the state filing deadline for next‑year calendars. Trustees discussed whether further committee review or an online parent survey should be used if the board sought additional adjustments.

Key calendar specifics cited by staff included: revised version 1 provides a full week off for Thanksgiving and keeps a two‑week winter break; revised version 2 shortens winter break to allow two additional instructional days in December; several versions move student start dates to early August (examples cited: Aug. 5 or Aug. 9, depending on version).