Mill Creek committee probes calendar tweaks amid renovation constraints, asks staff for Act 80 and Dec. 23 analysis

The Mill Creek Township School District Instruction & Student Services Committee discussed the proposed 2025–26 district calendar on Oct. 13 and asked staff to return to the full board with analysis of two potential changes before the October 27 meeting.

Committee members moved items 3.01–3.04 (the district calendar, a three‑year contract for school planners, a Therapy Dogs United agreement, and a $215/day 1:1 student service agreement) to the board meeting at the end of the month; the committee vote to forward the items carried by voice vote.

Committee members said their chief concerns involved the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Dec. 23, both of which fall late in the calendar this year because of a later start driven by ongoing building renovations. Staff explained the calendar is developed by a curriculum‑centered core team with input from parents, teachers and other stakeholders and must be backward‑planned from the fixed graduation date, which constrains flexibility. Staff also confirmed the district is currently using the 180‑day calendar (rather than the alternate 990‑hour option) and can consider Act 80 days to adjust an early‑year teacher in‑service schedule.

After extended discussion, the committee directed staff to investigate two specific options and report back at the October board meeting: (1) whether the district can designate Aug. 31 as an Act 80 in‑service day to reduce the five‑day teacher week at the start of school, and (2) whether Dec. 23 could be changed to a half day or removed from scheduled instruction without forcing a later graduation date. Staff told the committee they would also rerun stakeholder surveys and provide the calendar assumptions (days vs. hours, expected graduation constraints, and renovation timelines) to guide a final decision.

No formal change to the calendar was made at the Oct. 13 meeting; the committee forwarded the calendar for board consideration with the requested analysis.

Details that remain to be resolved — whether an Act 80 designation is acceptable to bargaining units and whether the district can meet state hour/day requirements while altering specific dates — were left to staff to clarify in the follow‑up report.