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District 49 superintendent warns calendar changes were driven by state audit; board agrees to fast track decision
Summary
Superintendent outlined a Colorado Department of Education audit and a resulting liability that prompted proposed calendar and policy changes; the board instructed administration to move the revised calendar through a near-term approval process.
Superintendent Peter and senior staff told the El Paso County Colorado School District 49 Board of Education on Feb. 13 that a recent Colorado Department of Education (CDE) audit found district scheduling and attendance practices exposed the district to potential reimbursement liability, prompting proposed changes to calendar policy.
Peter explained the audit reviewed multiple years and identified counting practices — including how certain orientation, assessment and graduation time had been recorded — that CDE would not continue to allow. The superintendent said the district had to act quickly to avoid a sizable reimbursement bill and to align its calendar and bell schedules with state requirements.
To reduce future liability and increase predictability for snow days and schedule changes, administration proposed three policy changes for board approval: set quantitative minimums for student contact days and hours (administration asked for at least 167 student contact days and 1,100 student contact hours districtwide), permit graduations to be scheduled on Saturdays (to preserve instructional Fridays), and allow limited use of half‑days for end‑of‑quarter or progress activities that CDE will recognize as a contact day when they meet the department’s hour requirements.
Administration described the proposed calendar as increasing student contact time by roughly six to seven days, reducing some professional non‑contact days and converting selected full days to half days to preserve adult professional collaboration time without losing instructional minutes.
Board members expressed concerns and questions about liability, calendar communication to families and staff, and the operational effects on hiring and scheduling. Director Schmidt asked whether the district currently faces a liability; administration confirmed the audit would be finalized the following day and said the district expects a multi‑year reconciliation but will use reserves if needed. Several directors thanked staff for the work and gave conditional support.
Because the calendar proposal requires a policy change to be valid, the board directed administration to bring revised policy language and the revised calendar forward for a near‑term board vote. The board agreed to pursue a single‑item special meeting (or to act at the March regular meeting) to approve the revised policy and calendar so staff and families can finalize schedules and hiring plans.
No final calendar or policy change was adopted at the Feb. 13 meeting; the board’s action was to move the proposal forward and seek a discrete vote at a follow‑up meeting.
Provenance: Superintendent remarks and policy discussion appear in the transcript between timestamps 7586.20 and 9273.19; the CDE audit background and proposed policy redlines are presented beginning at roughly 7624.85 and continuing through the calendar discussion. Evidence excerpts appear below.
