Floods forced two closure days; superintendent says district currently within statutory hours, board declines immediate make-up

Superintendent Freeman told the board that severe flooding forced two consecutive school closure days and that staff and some families were significantly affected. He said Division 22 instructional-hour rules require a minimum number of instructional hours, and that the district remains within those hours although the margin has narrowed.

Freeman gave precise hour figures for the most affected groups: "we still have an excess of 9.42 hours in the day, and then 9.5 hours for our seniors," and said the district could lose one more day before legally needing to schedule makeup instruction. Board members cited historical experience showing low attendance on makeup days and cautioned that requiring makeup days often results in poor instructional value.

After discussion about options — scheduling a single Friday in late April/early May that is not an in-service day, using pre-programmed days, or extending the school year if necessary — the board opted not to schedule a makeup day immediately. Several board members emphasized quality of instruction and staff time; Freeman said staff would relay the discussion to teachers and that the district would monitor conditions and the remaining instructional-hour buffer.

Board members also noted operational constraints: if additional days are lost later in the year, the district could be required to extend the school year into June to meet statutory hours.

The board gave no formal vote on a makeup day and directed staff to report back if conditions change.