Ames district delays approval of 2025'26 calendar pending outcome of state study bill on start date

District staff presented a draft 2025'26 school calendar and recommended the board defer a formal hearing and approval while awaiting further clarity from the state legislature.

The draft schedule counts 168 instructional days and sets the first allowable student day as Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, because the statutory earliest start date of Aug. 23 falls on a Saturday next year. The associate superintendent said, "It just doesn't make sense to open a hearing and go to approval if the study bill passes, we probably would want to change the start date," and recommended waiting until the legislative "funnel" date in March to determine whether to proceed with approval.

Nut graf: The recommendation is procedural: staff asked the board to delay final action so the district would not need to amend an approved calendar if the legislature modifies the statutory earliest start date.

Board members asked clarifying questions about timeline and whether the district should wait until the end of the session or the funnel date; staff suggested the funnel date would be a reasonable barometer of likelihood. Staff also described minor proposed changes in conference days and in the placement of a professional-development day to improve semester balance for secondary semester courses.

Ending: No hearing or approval was scheduled at this meeting; staff said the calendar draft is attached to the board packet and will return for action only after the board decides to proceed following legislative developments.