Trustees selected Calendar B for the next two school years at their meeting Wednesday night.
By Steve Ranson Nevada News Group
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
After several hours of discussion and reviewing input to select a calendar for the 2022-23 and 2022-24, the Churchill County School District’s Board of Trustees selected on Wednesday a modified model that will call for four-day weeks at least a dozen times.
The school board approved Calendar B on a 5-2 vote. The 12 Fridays do not include any holidays that fall on that day. Calendar B also received more approval from various surveys than Calendar A.
Trustee Carmen Schank was vocal in not liking Calendar B, which would provide for more Fridays off. Superintendent Summer Stephens said before the coronavirus pandemic began shutting down the schools during the spring of 2020, the school district was looking at a four-day week.
Schank, a retired elementary school teacher, said this is the third time the school board has looked at four-day week. She was concerned that the modified four-day week calendar would affect students with special needs, and working parents who needed childcare.
“We’re already behind with COVID, and then we cut days down,” she said.
Schank said facilities such as the Fallon Youth Center didn’t have openings was refuted by Stephens. She said FYC told her they had room and could help.
Trustee Matt Hyde said a four-day week is good for morale, but his concern focused on students not in school on those Fridays.
E.C. Best Elementary School Principal Keith Boone said Oasis Academy has established a four-day week, and a number of the school’s students spend their Fridays at FYC. Boone said he wasn’t sold on a four-day week until he talked to more community members and did more research.
Churchill County High School Principal Tim Spencer said he personally likes the five-day week because the administration can modify the schedule to meet students’ needs. He also said people have mixed feelings because of the sports schedules.
“We haven’t put enough time in this modified calendar,” Spencer said, referring more to how the high school would handle the modified calendar.
Trustee Gregg Malkovich said he was totally in favor of Calendar B. In view of the teacher shortage not only in Churchill County but in other districts in Nevada, Hyde said the B option would make Churchill County a more attractive place to teach.
Derild Parsons, director of Learning and Innovation and principal of Northside Early Learning Center, said his concern is for NELC to meet 25 hours of instruction during the week. He said the staff voted 13 in favor of Calendar B and one against.
Middle-school Principal Amy Word said she didn't have formal conversation with her staff.
“I do worry about the kids if they don’t have a place to be on Friday,” she said.
Lahontan Elementary School Principal Kimi Melendy said her staff is overwhelmingly in favor of Calendar B. Her concern, though, is adding minutes in the day for kindergarten and first-grade students, and if they can handle the extra instruction time.
“Whatever calendar, we will make it work,” she said.
Jennifer Gehant, president of the Churchill County Education Association, said the calendar would be a huge benefit for recruitment. She cited statistics that show thousands of teachers are leaving the profession. She said teachers with seven and fewer years in education don’t have many years invested, while those with four to five years are prone to walking away from teaching.
Schank said she appreciated everyone’s comments, but she couldn’t vote for Calendar B. She made a motion to accept Calendar A, and trustee Kathryn Whitaker offered a second but only for more discussion.
Concerns during the discussion focused on teacher retention, the effects to scheduling because of a four-day week, confusion for the parents. Tricia Strasdin, the board president, said more communication is needed to get the word out.
“I wish they was some awesome data,” Hyde said, but he still insisted he improved teacher morale will help the students.
Jennifer Sanches, a classified employee, said she’s more worried about the parents who haven’t commented on the proposed calendars.
Stephens gave statistics on student absenteeism during each day of the school week and said Mondays and Fridays show more absences than the other three days.
Additionally, trustees gave their approval for a four-day student week for kindergarten for 2022-23, but decided not to go forward with a pilot year-round calendar for K-5 (one section per grade).
“The timing is not right,” Malkovich said of the pilot program.
• The school board approved the re-employment of Parsons (director of Learning and Innovation), Kevin Lords (director of Administrative Services and Operations), and Lisa Bliss (Assessment and Data coordinator).
• Trustees approved early buyouts for five of seven staff members to include Toni Dalluge, transportation supervisor; Traci Ledesma and Monica Frank; second-grade teachers; Brad Daum, CCHS athletic director; and Chip Rutledge, CCHS computer teacher. After discussion, the board agreed to look at CCHS Vice Principal Mike Hogan’s application for early retirement.
Early retirement buyouts are implemented to replace higher salaried employees with lower-paid staff members.
