Liberty Hill ISD trustees debate 4-day-week options, childcare and instructional minutes for 2025–26 academic calendar
Loading...
Summary
Board members and staff discussed three calendar models that would shift staff professional development, condense student weeks and alter daily minutes; no calendar was adopted and staff were asked to return with more detail in February.
Trustees of the Liberty Hill Independent School District on Jan. 22 heard an extended staff presentation and a wide-ranging discussion about proposed academic calendars for the 2025–26 school year, including options that would move to a condensed student week and increase staff professional development time.
District staff presented three options they had circulated to employees and the community: Calendar A (168 student days), Calendar B (165 student days with a more “innovative” distribution of staff development days) and a Calendar C variant that would be a true four-day student week for much of the school year. Staff described Calendar B and C as ways to give teachers and campus staff more time for planning and collaboration amid increasing mandates and budget pressure.
The discussion centered on three practical trade-offs: total student days and required instructional minutes, the placement of staff development days (Fridays vs. Mondays), and supports for staff and families on nonstudent days. Staff said the district must meet the state minimum of 75,600 instructional minutes; some calendar versions require adding 5 minutes per school day to reach the requirement or designate specific bad-weather makeup days. Presenters also flagged that moving staff development to Fridays is common among districts that have adopted an innovative calendar and could reduce substitute costs and be more convenient for some parents.
Trustees and principals raised concerns about particular populations and schedules. Several trustees said primary-grade students may struggle with substantially longer school days, and high school coaches and teachers warned later dismissal times (approaching 5:00 p.m. in some scenarios) could conflict with practices, extracurriculars and students’ heavy course loads. Trustees asked staff to identify a “tipping point” for added minutes at elementary, middle and high school levels that would preserve effective instruction and minimize negative impacts on young children and extracurricular schedules.
Childcare on staff professional development days emerged as a key implementation issue. District staff reported a plan to continue providing free childcare for district employees and to explore adding east- and west-side locations; they are also evaluating third-party providers and community partners such as the YMCA to offer options to parents on those days. Staff cautioned that using district hourly staff to run childcare on PD days could reduce the staff available to participate in the professional learning that the calendar is intended to provide.
Trustees asked for concrete details about what would occur on district-level versus campus-level professional development days and requested a clearer year-at-a-glance so parents and staff can plan. Several trustees stressed the need to hear teacher and principal feedback; some board members said classroom teachers’ perspectives should carry significant weight. The district indicated it will develop an FAQ, work with principals to document proposed PD and classroom activities by calendar option, and return to the board with refined proposals and additional financial, transportation and human-resources analysis in February.
No formal vote was taken on any calendar option at the Jan. 22 meeting. Staff said they will continue collecting input from the district’s District Educational Improvement Committee and principals, examine childcare and transportation implications, evaluate potential changes to bell times and early-release practices, and plan to bring a calendar for board approval in February.
The board asked staff to prioritize predictable schedules for families, clear communication about professional development activities, and contingency planning around state instructional-minute requirements and potential budget impacts.
