Pocatello District trustees agree to form ad hoc committee to study 4‑day/hybrid options and craft survey

The Pocatello District Board of Trustees voted by consensus at a special meeting to form an ad hoc committee to research 4‑day, 5‑day and hybrid school‑week options and to design a focused survey for the community.

The committee will include parent representatives across grade bands, teachers (including at least one special‑programs teacher), classified staff, district administrators and two trustees. Superintendent Howe and district staff told trustees the committee should define the district’s goals first, then develop survey content that asks respondents to evaluate a small set of clearly described options rather than a broad open‑ended questionnaire.

“The committee comes first so that we can develop the survey,” Chair (presiding officer) told the board during the meeting; trustees agreed. Administrators reported an informal building‑level poll showed a majority of principals and building leaders prefer keeping professional learning community (PLC) time on Monday rather than moving it to Friday.

AJ, a district administrator who summarized the administrators’ feedback, said a Friday early release “may initially boost staff morale” but warned that moving PLC/PD from Monday to Friday could reduce the effectiveness of collaboration because “staff energy and engagement are often lower at the end of the week.” Trustees cited those PLC/PD concerns and the district’s responsibility to protect instructional time when debating next steps.

Mary Anne McGrory, president of the Pocatello Education Association, urged a transparent process that includes teachers and classified employees in committee work. “Please conduct a survey of staff and parents to determine the desire for a 4 or 5 day week,” she said during public comment, but she and other trustees agreed the committee should first settle definitions and goals so the survey yields useful, comparable answers.

District staff recommended starting committee recruitment in early fall, after Labor Day, with a goal of delivering recommendations and a survey draft to the board by October–early November so the board can consider changes for a future year. Administrators also warned that removing whole days from the calendar triggers state instructional‑hour and credit calculations; small changes require adding minutes across the year and may affect transport and school schedules.

The board did not adopt any calendar changes at the meeting. The next procedural step is forming the committee and defining its charge so the group can convene, draft a survey and gather stakeholder feedback for board consideration.

The meeting adjourned by voice vote.