001All right. Hey, good evening and thank you guys for being here, my awesome team out there. Um, I'd like to present to the board the concept of a 4-day balance calendar uh for the school year of 2627. I want to explore the feasibility of a 4-day balanced school calendar. This proposal is not about reducing rigor or lower lowering expectations. It's about long-term sustainability, recruitment, retention, and instructional effectiveness. Across New Mexico and the region, districts are implementing 4-day models as a strategic response to educator shortages and burnout. If we want to attract and retain our highquality staff, we must remain competitive. A balanced 4-day calendar can maintain required instructional hours while allowing for more focused instructional time, intentional professional development, and targeted intervention opportunities. This is not about working less. It's about working smarter. It is
002also about building a calendar that supports instructional excellence, teacher retention, and student success for the long term. Maybe we're just not changing the days, but instead we're improving the rhythm and recovery of a school year. This is about recruitment and retention. The educator workforce shortage is real and it continues to go. A 4-day balance calendar is a competitive advantage. Neighboring districts across New Mexico and throughout the region are already implementing four-day models. So far, 51 out of 89 districts in the state of New Mexico are a four-day model. We must position ourselves as an employer of choice, not as the last resort. Reduce burnout and improve staff morale. Instructional time can remain strong. This is not about reducing the instructional rigor. What I said earlier, a balanced 4-day calendar can maintain required instructional hours. Longer
003quality instructional days can reduce transitions and increased focused learning time. We will continue to build in professional development days to allow teachers to sharpen instruction strategies and we will maintain the required instructional hours of the K12 level two structure. Student and staff well-being is a priority. Reducing burnout, a more balanced school year, and potential attendance improve improvements. Financial considerations, transportation savings, utility savings, potential reduction in substitute costs, and community and family impact. The balance calendar can reduce long breaks that cause academic regression and shorter, more frequent breaks support mental health for both their students and our staff. So, I'm asking the board to consider um letting us uh look into a possible 4-day balanced school calendar. >> And I stand for any questions. according to what I read on Friday. >> So, we would build
004the professional development into the calendar um as I present it to you guys for approval. It's already going to be in to the calendar and we would stay with the four days of professional development. >> But if I can, what you're asking is can the fifth day of the week utilized for professional development and it it could depending on >> as of right now it possibly could >> as a structure and it can be used as a makeup day in case we have snow days make >> we'd have to look into that and the reason I'm saying that is because um the PED stated that a 4 day week is a 4 day week they did not like the some four day weeks and five day weeks that you know transitioned into the school calendar
005so I would have to check into uh as we continue. So that's what I'm asking is for um permission to look into these things. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Yeah. I think some of my questions go around all of that is can you have a a few weeks throughout the miss if you want to sit down? >> Do I know? Okay, I will. >> Sorry. Um I I think um I I guess my question is are are are we talking tonight for you to put together a 4 day a week calendar? Is that that the goal I guess because we don't obviously don't have a calendar to review right now. Right. >> Correct. So my team of course would need to be working on that and they are working on it right now. There's I mean
006I have a math person who's already crunching numbers there. Um my financial director is also um looking into that. I have p a person right now looking into the days and trying to get that onto the calendar. So yes, >> I think tonight's purpose is for the board to say we want to move forward with this or not and then at the March meeting then the calendar's calendar would be presented etc etc and you know and happened in the past. Sometimes the calendar's presented to us and we have approved it that night and sometimes we don't approve it till the next time because you know we have some questions about that. But I think the purpose of tonight's meeting is do we want to move forward and do we you know approve the superintendent moving
007forward with transitioning our district to a 4 day. >> I'm in favor of investigating what it would look like. I I think we need and and you probably already have a plan to do this to check, >> right? We we will definitely it's important to us. One of our words is communication and so we will be um gathering information from our staff, from our district and community. Yes. >> So I guess back to the question kind of goes on with Miss Anel is I guess I would like to find out if there are have opportunity for some weeks to go on that Friday. >> Okay. what is chosen to have the day off. Is that a possibility? So >> instead of a Monday >> or or >> No. So I'm saying like let's say like
008this week you had President's Day off, >> could you go on Friday, you still have a 4 day week, >> but that's considered a holiday. You know what I mean? How does that >> So yeah, that's a great question. So, I've looked into other districts who are doing the four day week and on those holidays like um President's Day, their President's Day becomes that Friday. So, they were in school Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and then Friday is that. So, >> so you couldn't be off Monday. I'm just thinking >> you're thinking Monday and Friday. >> Yeah. So, you could be off on Monday and then go to school on Friday essentially what you would do. >> Yes. >> The four days to shift. >> Yes. >> But we will always keep in mind that trying
009to be consistent so that we don't confuse our our parents. >> I was just thinking in the mind of like the rest of the world outside school that's bunch people are >> Oh, that's off day. >> Like let's use Labor Day. When you go in and look at calendars for Labor Day for four day schools, >> they go to school Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. >> Okay. Makes >> sense. >> And I don't know if you've gotten this far, Miss Q. Have you looked at beginning time of the day, ending time of the day, or are we in that type of discussion right now? >> I I think the questions need to be out there, >> right? And so we we're having our special board meeting tonight. And so I'm also meeting with my um leadership
010team uh tomorrow for just a minute, but we're going to go more in depth the beginning of next week. So tonight is really just to gather that um permission, but I have been crunching numbers and start times and messing around with that. But I definitely want um feedback from your leadership team >> and and I realize that this hasn't been vetted, researched, everything. So just in general, I guess have you looked at the start? I have been I was telling the board members that my brain hurts a little bit [laughter] from all the information just trying to gather to get a good picture to present to the leadership team. >> It would actually be 7.65 6 hours with the 30 minute lunch to meet the 11:40 law. We have to we have to stay within
011that law of 1140. >> Other questions? >> We're going to do a survey through our parents. We're probably I I personally would like to see the board decide whether or not this is something we want to see our district move to and then the mechanics of it [snorts] would happen at the next board meeting as far as the the start dates, the start times, the you know and and to give them time. Um but I I would hate to I mean we need some community uh parents, you know, so I'm sure it would go through the the parent platform uh the awareness of it, but if the board is saying let's let's look at things differently, you know, let's let's uh look at what we can differently to better serve our students and our staff
012then because I I would hate to see her and her team do a whole bunch of work and then we're like, you know what, let's sit on it for a while, you know? And so I think >> my my hope is that tonight we can give the superintendent direction of yes, this is what we want to do or not yet or you know. So that that's just my personal I hear has voted to do more days next year. >> They're doing it right now. >> Right. And we don't we want to keep rigor instruction, you know, that that's first and foremost. And then um you know I [snorts] have shared with you about our staff. They work so hard and put in a lot of hours and we you know we're tied to this K12
013plus two right or level two. And so I think it's good to look at other options. It doesn't mean that we're going to go with the 4day calendar once the team gets really digging in. and I had a great conversation with the cabinet this morning and um you know [snorts] they're so good to just dig in and just with their own individual departments too because we have to look at that how does it affect transportation and maintenance and custodians and um PD and and all those things. So there are a lot of factors. We are on a time limit because our budget cannot be approved unless our calendar is approved. And so you know we're we're three meetings away from that it's crazy what you can say. [laughter] >> I like what you said as
014far as thinking outside the box and trying to do something different. I'm personally all for it. >> And I think the message really is also is that I want our district to know that we're we are we continue to look and fight for ways that is what's best for them and the kids. you know, from the House Bill 161, trying to get that up there, looking at funding, looking at now maybe a four day week would be the best option, putting in the fall break that we did this year. So, you know, we're not ever going to stop looking to see what's best for our district. So, I do want that message out there. >> So, first step to investigate the possibility of >> I think I think that would be fine just to to
015uh you know authorize her to begin the process of the transition to 4 day week and you know we come back in two weeks for the board meeting and and she comes back and says we've tried everything we can't do it then we can all but I I personally don't think that's going to happen. I think that um I I think about things like the math intervention that is now really going to be a part of things and the opportunity that a little bit of expanded time what what can we do and I mean just on a side note I would love to see the short I mean personally everybody's tried really hard to make the Wednesdays be effective and impacted and I think that that I mean I know we've got administrators out there
016but I attendance. I can't imagine that attendance is great on Wednesdays and four consecutive solid days of instruction seem to make more sense when we're thinking about what's best for our kids. And that little bit of extended time gives some more flexibility for our our building principles to do what they know they need to do. with their kids. I mean, to me, that that that's a really big plus. Um, we we run into all sorts of issues all year long with attendance, but that's one I have to wonder if maybe subs would be a little easier, you know, uh just just that that piece alone. You know, there's there's a whole lot of pieces that that I think would benefit us, but I I think like you said, competitiveness and really thinking outside the box.
017So, I appreciate you doing that. So, in favor of more time during the day, secondary level at least because I was looking all of our periods except for fourth period only 48 minutes. Fourth period has 46 as far as hands-on teacher trying to get things set up and done back down. That's not enough time. So, if it would add some time in the day and I think To be clear, we would still be a K12 plus district. So there would still be the early start, you know, that nobody's a huge fan of, but still you would have >> and we will intentional >> we will communicate all those factors to our staff, to our district, because we we assume when we say four day balance calendar, that's a shorter year. Well, you've got to replace
018those Fridays somewhere. And so, um, yeah, so we will be looking at that and communicating that out, um, while we put the survey out. It's to consider. >> What's the preliminary time that other schools are using starting? >> Well, um, right now, like right now, we go 7:50 to 3:30. And so um looking at that for students and then our staff goes well we go 750 to 810 and then 750 to 3:30 for staff. So we could work within that parameter um changing it to 7:45 start time 325 and then um yeah so it just we would just have to look we have to look for 7.65. We we go over hours already. We do sir. >> What did you say that number? 7.1 >> 65 >> and that's counting the 30 minute mandate. >>
019Right. We don't [snorts] >> correct. That is correct. It's a balanced calendar >> just to make it a little bit more where we um like the days. We don't have such a long breaks in between. Just balancing out the the days Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Nice. There's no interruption in the middle of the week that Wednesday. Just >> Yes. Yes. We're going to get as close as we can to that. Yes. Okay. So, we have a motion out there to authorize the superintendent to move forward with planning for that. Are there any other questions? >> Yeah. >> We got it clarified. I wanted to make sure that I understood. >> I second. Okay. Thank you. All right, you guys are still getting time for dinner. So, um that concludes the um open portion of the
020meeting. Do I hear a motion to move into executive session? >> Yes. Okay, we'll take a five minute recess. Thank you everyone.