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Board approves resolution requesting waiver of 180‑day requirement to preserve school PLC time
Summary
The board voted to request a state waiver so the district can continue using waiver days and a mix of early‑release days to support Professional Learning Community (PLC) cycles; staff presented data showing PLC results and staff preferences.
The board approved Resolution D25 on May 12 requesting a waiver of the state’s 180‑day/1,027‑hour requirement for the 2025–26 school year to preserve time for Professional Learning Community (PLC) cycles. District staff said waiver days and early‑release schedules have been used for the past three years to provide collaborative planning time for teachers and to generate common formative assessments and growth data.
Teaching & Learning staff reported survey responses from more than 320 certificated staff: about 73% said waiver days were “valuable” or “extremely valuable” for PLC work, and 72% said the full-release waiver day provided adequate time for the PLC steps. When asked whether to continue waiver days or try alternatives, 56% preferred continuing waiver days and 44% favored trying something different; among alternatives, staff preferred a three‑hour early release over a two‑hour late start by about 76% to 24%.
Staff showed district‑level PLC evidence including a Lauren Middle School example where pre/post common-assessment results demonstrated measurable gains during a PLC cycle (the presentation showed a decrease in students at the lowest performance level and an increase in students at the highest level between pretest and posttest). The proposed schedule would include two waiver days and one three‑hour early release, providing approximately 1,036 instructional hours under the plan — above the state’s 1,027‑hour requirement, according to staff calculations.
The board voted 3‑0 to approve submitting the waiver request to the state and asked staff to return with the required paperwork and a follow‑up report.
