North Penn ECI advances 2026–27 calendar with Aug. 31 student start, added teacher prep day
Summary
The ECI committee recommended the 2026–27 school calendar for full‑board action, keeping Labor Day and moving the first student day to Aug. 31 while adding a teacher preparation day on Aug. 25 and a third professional development day in that week.
The North Penn School District’s Education, Curriculum & Instruction (ECI) committee on Jan. 13 recommended the 2026–27 district calendar for full‑board action, endorsing an Aug. 31 student start and an Aug. 25 teacher preparation day. The committee recorded the recommendation by voice vote.
Dr. Waters, who presented the calendar, said the way the August dates fall allows teachers an additional professional‑development day before students arrive. "We're really excited that we now have an additional day that week before the students come back to us," Waters said, noting the extra time will help with convocation, IEP review and safety training.
Under the proposed calendar, Labor Day observance remains the same and conferences would be consolidated into the week of Thanksgiving. Administrators also recommended returning to a traditional Monday‑through‑Friday spring break in March to reduce disruptions ahead of state assessments (PSSAs and Keystone exams) and to ease childcare burdens for some families. The plan would allow the district’s last student day to fall on June 10, with teachers concluding on June 11.
Board members and parent representatives praised the administration for consulting union leadership and for considering diverse religious observances; Dr. Bauer (superintendent) and others noted the district meets the state’s instructional‑hours requirements for both elementary and secondary calendars.
The committee voted to forward the calendar to the full board for action at a subsequent meeting.
