2009+Calendar+Research

Post any information related to the calendar (professional development, inservices, conferences, snow days, extended contracts, plan time, work days, duty free lunch, and late start/early release) on this page.

__Plan Time__ Olathe states - For Senior High and Junior High, "educators assigned to teach full-time in a junior high/senior high program will have a schedule of five classes from the District approved courses, one supervisory or team duty period, and one period for the purpose of planning, preparation, and evaluation of instructional activities."

For Elementary (pre-k through 6th grade) "all elementary educators assigned to teach full-time in an elementary program will normally have a minimum of 270 minutes per A-E rotation for the purpose of planning, preparation, and evaluation of instructional activities in schools implementing the International Language program. In general, elementary plan time will be scheduled in blocks of at least 30 minutes."

Blue Valley has similar language and require the same amount of plan time for Secondary, Elementary requires 265 minutes per week.

__Duty Free Lunch__ Much of the language for duty free lunch is the same for all districts. I found all districts state differently, but seem to be the same overall time - "25 minutes, 30 minutes, or lunch period."

__Contract Day__ I did not find any districts that had language applied to student contract day. Staff contracted time according to most other districts was the same as ours. 8 hour day for Secondary and 7 hour 40 minute day for Elementary.

__Snow Days__ SMSD was the only district I found to have an early release for unused snow days. "Two inclement weather days are built into the calendar. If these days are not needed, the ending dates for students and teachers will be adjusted." However, they have 189 contracted days for staff. Olathe has 187 contracted days, but does not show an early release for unused days.

__Conferences__ Olathe's conference schedule is as follows: Wednesday- (students in class regular hours) Conferences 4:30-8:30pm Thursday- (no school for students) Conferences 11:00-8:00pm (dinner break 4:00-4:45) Friday- No school for students or staff Olathe also has an option for "leave credit" during confernce days. "Any individual absent due to illness/bereavement leave during parent/teacher conferences who subsequently spends a minimum of four hours outside of contract time making up face-to-face parent conferences will be credited back one-half day of illness/bereavement leave." It looks like Blue Valley and SMSD have the same conference set up as we have.


 * Inservice Question**: This is in response to the inservice question thrown out over the weekend. I used calendars posted by school districts for this year and next year.
 * Shawnee Mission:** 2 days before students report; 1 day School Improvement in October; 1 day School Improvement in March
 * Gardner-Edgerton:** Unique schedule. All levels - 3 full days designated as building; 1 full day designated district; 4 - 1/2 days designated as building level. Then at K-8 there is an additional 1/2 pm and on full day. At 5-8 there are 2 additional 1/2 days; and at 9-12 there are 3 additional days that have odd hours like 10-6, etc and they are building level. This is taken from their calendar.
 * Olathe:** Everything is coded as Professional days and there are 14.5 days coded this way. **I am sure some of these are work days in their rooms and grade card/conference prep times. I am going to talk to some teachers I know there to sort through how much is really inservice.**

**Olathe -** A very generic, open statement: “Individual plan time is important for educators to prepare for professional responsibilities which include planning, preparation, evaluation of instructional activities, and maintaining parent/family communication. It is recognized that on occasion administrative meetings may occur during individual plan time, which is the exception and not the rule. Non-classroom educators will have individual plan time commensurate with this policy in varied increments for the purpose of planning, preparation, evaluation of instructional activities and maintaining parent/family communication.”
 * __Teacher Workday - beginning and end of grade period__**

**__ Blue Valley __** “An attempt will be made to begin second semester no earlier than January 3. This assumes that week contains at least 2 academic days or school will start on the next Monday.” ** Teachers need at least one professional development day in preparation for the new semester **. The earliest teachers can return to the classroom is January 2 because January 1 is a legal holiday. If teachers return on January 2 then the earliest classes can begin is January 3 if a professional development day is scheduled. A minimum of two academic days in a school week helps provide students and teachers with the feel of a normal week. Further, in a one-day week parents may be more prone to allow students to miss class for family vacation time.

**__ Piper __** **__TEACHER WORKDAYS __** One-half (1/2) day workday for teachers will be scheduled at the end of each grading period, except that a full workday shall be scheduled at the end of the first semester. A minimum of one (1) teacher workday will be scheduled at the beginning of the school year, before the students’ first day.

**__TEACHER DUTY DAY __** The teacher duty day shall consist of a seven hour and 45 minute (7:45) block of time. The building principal shall set the beginning and ending times for the school day. The teacher duty day shall be extended on occasion for a total of fourteen and one-fourth (14 1/4) hours per school year. At least two calendar weeks notice will be given prior to extending the school day. Extensions may not be made on holidays or weekends. The principal may schedule meetings for professional purposes, student assistance, Professional Learning Communities work, open house, back-to-school night, faculty meetings out side the duty day, or other events shall be counted as part of the fourteen and one-fourth hour extension.