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Pojoaque Valley considers 4-day week and moving graduation to Friday; board to survey community
Summary
The district's calendar committee presented draft 4-day and 5-day calendars that would shift some holidays to instructional days and propose moving graduation to a Friday; the board plans community outreach and a survey before deciding.
The Pojoaque Valley calendar subcommittee presented two draft academic calendars — an updated five-day schedule and a four-day alternative — and outlined community-feedback steps before any board action.
Superintendent Dr. Chanel Saburant said the four-day option would lengthen daily minutes (adding about 40 minutes to each instructional day) to meet the state's required hours, and the committee's draft calendars propose several changes: moving spring break two weeks later; designating Indigenous Peoples' Day and Veterans Day as instructional days with school-based commemorations rather than full closures; and shifting graduation to a Friday at 10 a.m. for logistical reasons.
Board members raised operational concerns. Vice President Luhan warned about traffic and safety if graduation is held on a weekday morning and asked for studies or traffic management plans; Member Miller noted Friday daytime ceremonies could affect working parents and recommended surveying families and staff. Member Benavides and others urged the committee to ensure athletic conflict dates and state tournament schedules remain compatible with any schedule change.
Dr. Saburant said the committee will present both calendars to an extended committee, gather community feedback starting immediately and run a formal survey of staff, students and families. She said the district has verified both calendars meet state-minute requirements for the year but will refine the 5-day calendar to build additional buffer time for snow days.
Next steps: the district will survey stakeholders (staff, families, students) and return recommendations for a board vote; the superintendent said survey results and the committee's recommendation will inform any move to a four-day week or other adjustments.
