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School board delays vote on calendar changes after members ask for more staff and public input
Summary
Board votes 5-2 to defer approval of two proposed calendar items until Feb. 4 after members and some staff expressed concern about timing, communications and impact on family plans.
The Rapid City Area School District 51-4 board voted 5-2 on Jan. 20 to defer a vote on two proposed calendar items (referred to at the meeting as items A and B) until its Feb. 4 meeting to allow time for additional staff and community input.
Board President Troy Carr ended discussion before the vote, saying he would "invoke my privilege as president to end the discussion" and direct staff to bring the items back with whatever additional input the board requested. The roll call on the postponement was: Clapham, Stephenson, Moore, Birklin and Urban in favor; Carr and Swan opposed.
What was proposed
Acting Superintendent Strasser presented a recommended calendar that included several adjustments he said were intended to be student-centered: moving the end of semester 1 prior to the winter break; moving graduation up one week (to reduce conflicts with late spring activities); shifting a staff professional-development day from after Martin Luther King Jr. Day to after Presidents Day; and balancing the two semesters to 83 and 85 student contact days.
Strasser said the changes aimed to improve continuity of instruction and activity scheduling for high-school students and to respond to staff feedback. He also reported other district initiatives that relate to calendar planning, including a recently rolled-out in-district staff transfer request process and plans to explore virtual elementary options in the coming months.
Board concerns and process
Several board members said the changes were substantial and that more notice to staff and families would be appropriate. Board Member Urban, noting the size of the change, urged additional community feedback and asked whether facilities (such as auditorium or civic-center availability) had been checked for the new graduation date; Strasser confirmed availability of the Civic Center.
Board Member Clapham stressed that some students had told trustees that similar changes in the past had left them surprised by new course-load expectations (for example, seniors being required to take five fall-semester credits). Board Member Stephenson expressed willingness to delay for two weeks but cautioned the district already sends many surveys and that staff time is limited.
A motion to postpone the calendar items until Feb. 4 carried on a 5-2 vote. President Carr said administration would gather additional input from staff and other stakeholders and return the items for board action on Feb. 4.
Ending
The board instructed administration to solicit further feedback and to present the recommended calendar and any suggested revisions at the Feb. 4 meeting for a final vote.
