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Southeast Polk board approves calendar change: three consecutive full‑day Wednesdays to meet state instructional hour requirement
Summary
The Southeast Polk board approved a calendar change to convert three consecutive Wednesdays (April 30, May 7 and May 14) to full student days to meet the Iowa Department of Education's instructional-hour requirement; students' last day will be May 28 and staff contract days remain unchanged.
The Southeast Polk Community School District Board of Directors approved a change to the 2024-25 calendar to make up six required instructional hours by converting three consecutive Wednesdays into full student days: April 30, May 7 and May 14. The motion passed by roll call after discussion about teacher-associate coverage, building-level planning and the effect on end-of-year activities.
Why it matters: Iowa requires districts to meet a minimum number of instructional hours; the board chose consecutive Wednesdays to provide consistent scheduling and the largest classroom impact while preserving staff contract end dates. Board members emphasized prioritizing student learning opportunities when weighing scheduling options.
Discussion notes: Board member Rick (first name recorded in transcript) said he selected those dates to keep the make-up days consecutive and to free up May 21 in case of important district events. Administrators and principals told the board they would work with teacher associates and building staff to manage coverage and resolve schedule conflicts; the district noted teacher-associate pay would apply for the additional time worked on those full days because the food-service and other scheduling needs differ.
Board action: The motion to adopt option C — converting April 30, May 7 and May 14 to full student days and retaining staff contract last day as May 30 — passed by roll call with all board members recorded as "yes." Administrators said communication to staff and families would be sent the following day.
Implementation details and follow-up: If adopted, the students' last day is scheduled as Wednesday, May 28; Thursday, May 29 will be a professional learning day and May 30 will be a teacher work day and checkout. Principals will finalize building-level plans for coverage, and district staff will share updated calendar communications with families and employees.
