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Board weighs options to make up nine snow days; teacher survey favors giving up planning days
Summary
After nine weather closures the district must add instructional time to meet Kansas' 1,116‑hour requirement. A staff survey showed 64% of elementary respondents preferred converting two planning days to student days rather than extending the end of the year.
Geary County Schools leaders presented options to make up instructional time after nine school closures due to snow, ice and safety concerns. District staff said elementary and early‑childhood calendars lack sufficient built‑in hours to meet Kansas’ 1,116 required student contact hours and must make up four days at the elementary and early‑childhood levels.
The administration described options considered: use of spring or summer days, converting elementary planning days (March 10 and May 9) into student days, converting professional‑development days (which count for less than a full instructional day), adding minutes to each school day, Saturday school, or adding days to the end of the calendar. The administration cautioned that adding minutes is complicated by multi‑tier bus routes and early‑childhood AM/PM schedules; early‑childhood classes are half‑day programs with constrained planning and lunch windows.
District staff surveyed elementary teachers and reported that 64% preferred converting the two scheduled planning days (March 10 and May 9) to student days rather than adding days to the end of the year; 36% preferred keeping planning days and adding all required days to the calendar’s end. Administration said it had discussed options with association leadership and that converting the two planning days was the least disruptive single option and would keep the last student day prior to Memorial Day for many staff.
Board members raised equity questions for middle and high school staff, noted classified employees’ lost pay for missed workdays, and asked whether secondary staff should have also been surveyed. Administration said converting two planning days into student days would create two additional student days without expanding the contract length beyond two days district‑wide, would provide additional paid days for classified staff who otherwise used leave, and would keep senior graduation timelines intact under current counts.
No final board action was recorded at the meeting; administration said it would notify staff and families promptly and planned to post final decisions quickly to allow scheduling adjustments.
