School Board makes calendar decision on 3-2 vote

The Clear Lake School District will continue to dismiss students at 2 p.m. each Wednesday to provide for staff development time, however the district’s 2014-15 school calendar will be based on hours, rather than days.

The School Board voted 3-2 Monday night to give the weekly early dismissal plan another year, rather than switch to every-other-week or once a month staff development time.  Board members Mark Tesar, Deb Betz and Jill Wilhelm voted in favor of keeping the weekly schedule.  Prior to that vote Board member Chyrl Bergvig’s motion for a once monthly day of in-service failed for lack of a second.  Bergvig and Board President Chad Kuhlers voted against the weekly plan.

“I think we need to give the weekly early dismissals more time,” said Betz.  “It’s only been a year and studies say it usually takes three to four years before a change becomes the norm.”

The school district implemented the every week dismissal in 2013-14, following a school year in which the every-other-week approach was used.

The vote came after months of discussion about possible calendar options.  

As she has done at previous meetings, parent Rebecca Storbeck urged the Board to make a change.  She presented a petition from high school instructors to drop the early dismissal practice.  She also showed the Board results of a survey which she said showed the majority of teachers preferred a half-day or full day for professional development.  

At a workshop session earlier this month Curriculum Coordinator Tracy Thomsen presented the Board with a survey which showed no clear majority opinion by teachers concerning calendar options.   Thomsen and administrators noted, however, that early dismissals create different challenges for different grade levels.  

By changing the 2014-15 school calendar to hour rather than day-based, school officials say they will have more flexibility for weather-related delays or early dismissals. Effective July 1, 2014 the State’s Department of Education is giving school districts the option of choosing between 180 days or 1,080 hours of instruction. If a district or school chooses 1,080 hours of instruction, lunch is excluded; however, passing time or parent-teacher conferences may be included. 

The school year will begin Monday, Aug. 18, for Clear Lake High School students.  Conferences will be held that day for students in the kindergarten-prep through eighth grade.  Regular classes for K-Prep to eighth graders will begin Tuesday, Aug. 19.