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Poudre School District calendar committee proposes Aug. 19 student start in 2026–27; committee cites CDE minute and funding constraints
Summary
PSD's calendar committee presented a first reading of the 2026–27 calendar proposing staff start Aug. 10, student transition day Aug. 18 and student start Aug. 19; committee said it worked within Colorado Department of Education instructional‑hours rules and PSD employee agreement constraints and noted early‑childhood funding implications.
Poudre School District’s Calendar Committee presented a recommended 2026–27 school‑year calendar at the board’s Nov. 18 meeting, proposing a later student start date to reduce heat‑exposure impacts while staying inside state instructional‑hours and district employee‑agreement requirements.
Under the committee’s recommended version, staff would return on Aug. 10, there would be a transition day on Aug. 18 (for rising 6th and 9th graders and building work for staff), and students would begin on Aug. 19. Committee co‑chairs Cheryl Day and Brian Kiel said those adjustments gained roughly six calendar days versus an earlier draft while preserving a five‑day fall break and a two‑week winter break. The proposed calendar meets Colorado Department of Education (CDE) minimums — notably the 1,080 total instructional hours per year — and the committee highlighted an important funding threshold: the first semester must meet a separate 360‑hour requirement used for some funding calculations.
Presenters told the board the committee considered three draft versions and favored the one that balances later start, clustering of non‑student contact days to ease child care burdens and alignment with concurrent‑enrollment partners (community colleges and universities). The committee also noted early‑childhood programs have higher annual‑hour requirements; moving from a 10‑hour weekly pre‑K to a higher weekly hour tier can change reimbursement levels through the Larimer County Child Care Coalition by roughly $1,200 per pupil in the district's estimate.
Board members asked whether heat‑release or snow days would threaten the 360‑hour first‑semester funding threshold; presenters said the CDE minimums include a buffer intended to cover planned release days and typical inclement‑weather disruptions. The calendar will return to the board for further consideration in December before final adoption; the communications and HR teams will prepare staff‑specific calendars and public materials in the spring if adopted.
Because the presentation was a first reading, there was no formal adoption vote on the calendar at this meeting.
