001Now special session governing Now have a moment. I need a motion and a second. >> Yes. Yes. Right. This evening we are here for item 3.1 student achievement early release and at this time I'm asking the governing board has not seen these results yet despite some of the rumors there's been no predetermined decision by the Good evening, President Rose, members of the board. Um, I'd like to provide a little context. In 2014, following a failed overhead election, the district reduced full year elementary specials, art, music, and PE to 12 week rotations. So this resulted in a 23 reduction in elementary teacher preparation time. That's when early release was implemented. It was a costneutral solution to restore that dedicated planning time and preserve instructional quality. Then to support families who had students at multiple sites, the
002district adopted a uniform early release schedule across all school levels, elementary, middle, and high school. At this point in time, most elementary teachers receive between 45 and 60 minutes of planning on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and anywhere between zero and 35 minutes on Thursdays, depending which site they're at. Um, middle school teachers and high school teachers have approximately 55 minutes of planning on non- early release days and about 40 minutes on early release days. These times, like I vary from sight to sight and by position. For example, an elementary specialist at one site might have zero prep time on Thursday. Um, a high school teacher may have zero prep time if they're covering class. So, it varies a little bit. Currently, early release Thursday afternoons are used for common planning time, professional learning, community
003meetings, department meetings, staff meetings, and professional development. And then planning across sites depending on that staffing model. In the spring of 2025, the board began discussing early release schedules and families expressed concerns about child care and scheduling challenges during early release. If early release days were eliminated entirely, all collaborative planning, staff meetings, professional development would all have to move to after hours. This would be a huge shift for our staff and it would impact the district's ability to provide after school clubs, athletics, tutoring, homework support because teachers would be in meetings and professional development. However, students would benefit from more consistent learning routines, improved continuity across subjects, particularly reading, math, and what we call secondary block classes like elementary, social studies, and science. Um, the the momentum of those classes tends to be reduced on
004shortened days. Removing early release helps ensure all students, including those with IEPs, English learners, and those needing additional support or enrichment, receive consistent daily instructional time. A full 5day schedule would also reduce confusion for families around different dismissal times, easing transportation, child care, and after school arrangements. Eliminating early release days entirely would result in an additional 52 and a half hours of instruction each year. That's equivalent to about nine instructional days. Reducing early release days to once a month would increase instructional time by approximately 4 and a half hours per month, about 45 hours over the course of the school year. That's equivalent to about eight additional days at the elementary level. This additional time would allow us to provide tier three reading intervention 5 days a week, meeting Arizona Department of Education's 225 minute
005weekly requirement. This would also allow for 20 minutes daily for tier 2 ELA instruction and 20 minutes daily for tier 2 math instruction. However, this structure would create inconsistent schedules for families and possibly create hardships with child care. Maintaining a once a week early release schedule provides a predictable schedule for families. However, families who work traditional hours may struggle to secure affordable consistent care for staff. Structured planning time during contract hours reduces after hours workload. Conversely, instructional time is limited and teachers will continue to feel rushed to cover grade level content. There is a concern that implementing early releases every Friday would negatively impact both student and staff attendance. A shortened instructional days may lead to increased absences, early checkout, and reduced consistency and participation. Um, this was a note that um also came around
006today that I just learned. Early release days significantly reduce student participation in the high school lunch program, particularly among students who qualify for free and reduced price meals, resulting in many students missing a meal they would normally receive. The drop in participation at the high school with the decreased allocart sales leads to an estimated annual revenue loss of about $98,500. On February 3rd, the district sent out a survey to staff and families seeking their feedback regarding the early release schedule. The survey was open for one week. 374 staff and 1,483 families responded. Over 90% of the staff preferred to have early release on either a Thursday or Friday. And I combined those that because they were almost identical. 52% of the staff chose every Friday. 163 47% of chose every Thursday. That's why 52% chose
007every Friday, 47% chose every Thursday of that 90%. And then families, 1,137 families, 76% chose every Friday. 205, 13% chose every Thursday. Those are the facts I have for you. >> Okay. Thank you. At this time, I will open her up for questions from the governing board. I'm going to launch the first question. very few. Maybe one or two. Very few. >> Do you have an estimated number of how many other school districts? >> I do not. I can find out. Yes. >> No. It was not every Thursday or every Friday. Do we have any idea how early release when it comes to transportation the exact relief that >> I do not but I will find out that is a concern I did not think Correct. I Yes. Right. So that they can actually use
008that once a month to do classroom practice. I wonder for a teacher to do all of the I just want to say like background work that goes into teaching students, the prepping, the grading, the analysis. Um if it was reduced to once a month, having that protected time for them so that they could do that back during that time. Um I know one of our levels, one of our primary grade levels as to condense their knowledge units in ELA so that they would have more time for skills units because it's time consuming. Um in third grade, the third grade um as guide only teaches four out of the six science and history units simply because there isn't enough That means that kids are exposed to 66% of that curriculum. In sixth grade, we do the
009100 day ping for ELA as opposed to the traditional because of that instruction. When we look at a teacher for a school district that doesn't have What does that look like as far as hours? How long they put a lot of teachers on weekends in their class. So sometimes there's this false ideology or that teachers only our teachers in their classroom papers. So our teachers understand the hours that it takes but at the same time we want to be respectful and just and so I really feel that looking We need to find that balance not just for our teachers. So what does that look like for staff meetings? So staff meetings would have to take place after school and before we went to early release we Mondays was always staff meeting day like don't make
010a doctor appointment don't make a dentist appointment on a Monday afternoon because you know you'll be there from 3 to 4 to 4:30 professional development again like things like that we've adopted a new math curriculum so professional development might take place after hours or on a Saturday can to come for that professional development. >> Do you have any questions? >> Um, can I add two more facts? Um, >> approximately 29% of our students are absent on Thursdays or Fridays. I think that's a relative statistic. And then as far as teacher absences go, and this is just teachers, this is not pair professionals. We average about 27 absences on Thursdays, which is 11% of our teaching staff. And on Fridays, we average about 40 absences, which is 16% of our teaching staff. and and I do
011know that that is a big concern among across sites is a Friday early release is it's it's so hard to find sub coverage at the high school at the middle school subs are being used at the elementary school they end up covering for each other's classes then they don't get their time it's it's a never ending circle What would you say? I'm asking what would you say the percent of teachers that actually stay on campus? >> I would say 90 to 95%. And I will say some some teachers Thursday, you know, their Thursday afternoon for a doctor's appointment because they would rather miss a meeting than miss time with their kids with their students, which >> don't work on Fridays. Yes. And those of those teachers, they would rather meetings generally, I mean, correct me
012if I'm wrong, but a PLC meeting ends at 3:00 and many teachers will go back to their sites, they'll work, they'll go back to grade papers to prepare other lessons, but generally meetings end at 3:00. The most important question in your opinion of these options, what is best? >> For student achievement, we increase student achievement when we increase the precision, the the intensity, and the regularity of instruction. That's what's for student achievement. >> Which is why we're here. You ask me to take out the human element. They are my hum. emotional wellbeing. Yes. Our student achievement has been stagnant and if we keep doing what we've always done, we will keep getting. Thank you for follow and I haven't in the classroom for a number of years, but as a teacher to come back and
013then on Friday, it is so hard if you're trying to start a new unit or start a new chapter, it's really hard to start a new momentum on a Friday. It's almost like unintention whatever it is going vacation. So negative education question possibly could answer. Yes. >> Yes. I just want you finding out about transportation the impact on transportation costs in your state. All right. At this time, I'm going to start with those in the room against So we will start this evening record. Yes. which is why I raced over and I texted all of you on my way over and All right. Anyone that would like to speak against All right. I would say But >> yeah, did Please bring the mic. >> I would just say that we have transitioned since we have
014new curriculum. We don't I can't speak for everybody but we don't necessarily have a testing anymore. I will speak for myself at my grade levels. Thursday and then our units do not line up where everything >> you can help with. So when we're looking at earlier we spoke about students leaving so sh >> the current schedule has been it's been a wece once upon a time and it was a regularly issues with specialist every other so it's been the most consistent the timing in the day on a Thursday is not to school in terms of our site doesn't get prep however we get our time for primary for us to gradistade wise in primary grades. The thing that we give up in primary is on Thursday is we don't do our program. So we have
015just made it Thursday instruction. But we are able to get all of the other part I'll be honest nowadays it's been scheduled for so long they don't know the difference to them is we're learning after school things for them so it's just Charles on the transportation part since I'm over transportation I can't think of any reason why we change a dollar amount about an hour and a half earlier Thursday special from my experience because I ran school that had early release it was lower attended and special. That's just my personal experience. Um but when this started when this discussion started I reached out to family members and friends and they don'teded But they have those are I keep doing Anyone I'm sorry. Okay. Okay. Oh, come on. One of the conversations Precious. What's it different?
016Saturday. And so there is a lot more What's your name? That's why I'll ask also not Sunday class. Every subject different. I had a great conversation. We have two differentations. We have the generation We have a generation that fers hours. This is across the board. the extra time. So we need to understand this process. While we approve Just one thing I think from the teacher perspective. But as a teacher, I want to know that I understand aspect. As a teacher, if I want to stay late on Thursday, Whe as a teacher we don't want to leave until things are done and ready for that next week and that is one possible concern Stay until it's not done. I would tell you that they have often going out still. I feel like teachers and just know
017that we're protect messaging each other, texting every single school. So that's a lot of teachers. Any I think that you have your And so I'm worried So maybe like I wanted to say looking at the entire a lot One thing that Students Save that last question. question. So our I'm going to ask So issue two things isue looks collaboration assistant principal. They are responsible people. take place in front of them. Policy policy citizenship. I was committed Any other questions? There's no Yes. Thank you for being here.