School board debates early‑dismissal days to free teacher planning time

The Citrus County calendar committee on Sept. 9 presented draft options for the 2026–27 school calendar and sought board guidance on nonnegotiables. The committee summarized parent and staff survey results on Thanksgiving break, fair week alignment and early‑dismissal/professional learning days.

Committee chair Jen Story said staff and parent responses differed: many staff preferred a full week off for Thanksgiving while parents were split; parents showed lukewarm preference for additional half‑days, but staff and the presenting trustees endorsed carving early‑dismissal windows into the calendar to free time for professional learning without taking planning periods. The committee proposed eight two‑hour early dismissals across the year (four per semester) or a smaller option of seven days to balance instructional minutes.

Board members raised two consistent concerns: preserving required instructional minutes (Florida statute requires 180 student days or a specified number of instructional hours) and protecting Veterans Day as a non‑instructional day. Administrators explained that minutes are based on instructional hours rather than days and that scheduling could add teacher work days without reducing statutory student minutes by adjusting semester day counts.

Several trustees urged the committee to produce two or three calendar options that clearly spell out differences in instructional minutes and family impacts; the committee said it will return in October with completed calendar options and recommended nonnegotiables.