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Early childhood staff ask district to restore missed planning minutes; district proposes 200‑minute make-up for Wednesday closures
Summary
Early childhood teachers reported losing planning time when Wednesday closures occur and the district's joint committee recommends adjusting the PD calendar to restore a minimum of 200 minutes for missed Wednesday planning time; the committee will continue exploring specials rotations and full‑day options given budget and space constraints.
Early childhood teachers and staff presented a yearlong study of planning time that found teachers often lose all of their planning minutes when snow days fall on Wednesdays. A joint committee — formed under the 2024–25 negotiated agreement — met 11 times and recommended adjustments to the professional development (PD) calendar so certified staff receive a minimum of 200 minutes of make‑up time on any Wednesday closure due to inclement weather.
Callie Baker introduced the presentations and identified the challenges: early childhood staff have limited daily scheduling windows (10 minutes before and after duty day) and supervise students the full program day, making lost planning time difficult to recoup. The committee also examined options including adding a specials rotation, extra duty pay, or additional work days, and noted barriers such as supervision requirements, budget constraints, and classroom space. "We are very proud of our KCKPS early childhood program and after several hard years are very grateful for the opportunity to collaborate and have positive and necessary changes," presenters stated.
Board members asked about models used elsewhere and whether converting part‑day classrooms to full‑day would be feasible. Presenters said other programs have implemented specials using classified staff and that full‑day expansion is constrained by budget and space; staff will continue to explore options and bring more details for future consideration.
