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Portland Public Schools policy committee advances 2026–27 academic calendar to full board
Summary
The Portland Public Schools policy committee voted unanimously Feb. 23 to forward the 2026–27 academic calendar to the full board after discussing required instructional and teacher days, conference scheduling, PD-day timing and religious-holiday logistics.
The Portland Public Schools policy committee voted unanimously Feb. 23 to send the district’s draft 2026–27 academic calendar to the full school board for final consideration.
Dr. Sarah Warren, the district’s chief of strategy and operations, told the committee that the draft meets legal and contract requirements, including at least 175 instructional days by state law and a minimum of 180 teacher days; the Portland Education Association contract calls for 181 teacher workdays. "There's been a lot of great input on this calendar, so I feel really good about that," Warren said while presenting the draft.
Why it matters: the calendar sets the rhythm for the district’s school year and affects families, staff planning and coordination with partner districts. Warren said the draft moves a professional-development day from January to March (03/19 in the draft) after staff feedback, and gives schools more flexibility to schedule at least one half-day for spring conferences in addition to contract teacher days, aiming to reduce staff burden.
The committee discussed start-of-year scheduling and holiday alignment. Warren said union leadership recommended keeping the first teacher week as four workdays with a Friday off before students return, and the district accepted that preference to stay aligned with neighboring districts. She also described how the district will handle the variable date of Eid: "We would confirm the day before, that the holiday was falling on that Wednesday," she said, noting the district will announce confirmations to families as soon as practicable.
Committee members praised broad stakeholder engagement during calendar development. Chair Maya Lina moved to approve the draft calendar to be forwarded to the full board; Board Member Ali Ali seconded the motion. By roll call the motion passed unanimously (Ali Ali: yes; Youssarah Ali: yes; Vice Chair Mickey Bondo: yes; Chair Maya Lina: yes).
Next steps: Dr. Warren and Chair Lina said the full Portland Public Schools board will take up the calendar at its March 10 meeting for final action.
