UPDATED: District 15 to Implement New Schedule for 2013-2014 School Year

UPDATED: Thursday, January 3 at 11:50 a.m. 

A statement from District 15 Superintendent Scott Thompson.

The committee charged with working on the late start/early dismissal project will be seeking input from parents in the next week or so. The committee definitely wants to find ways to lessen the impact on families. All options for making the best decision will be considered.  Parents/community members are encouraged to respond to that request for feedback. 

No decision has been made at this point. After receiving feedback, the committee will offer a proposal later this month or early in February. The Board of Education's Communication Committee has planned a Community Forum on Jan. 26th (9:00-11:00AM) (location to be announced at a later date) to address this topic. The results of the survey will be available at that meeting and conversations can occur regarding the proposals. The committee will also have some possibilities for child care for families with working parents at that meeting.

UPDATED: Wednesdsay, January 2 at 3:30 p.m. 

Being touted as a way to provide more professional development for teachers while maintaining current instructional time, District 15 plans to change its schedule for the 2013-2014 school year.

The schedule adjustments relate to when classes begin and end each day, and a final decision on what those changes will look like has not yet been made, according to District 15 Superintendent Scott Thompson.

"We are planning to get out more information and elicit feedback from parents through a survey," Thomspon said. "We also are hoping to have child care options on Wednesday mornings if we implement a late start, so parents who would have difficulty could still have child care options."

District 15 and the Classroom Teacher’s Council (CTC) negotiated the changes in an effort to provided dedicated teacher development time. 

There is a caveat in the contract with CTC, Thompson said, that states there will be a late start for development time, unless there is overwhelming opposition from the community.

According to a release from District 15, teachers will be provided with opportunities for collaborative team/grade/department planning, data analysis, and training for all certified staff during the adjusted times. 

On Wednesdays, the start and end time could be 40 minutes later than it is currently. Meanwhile, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, the school day potentially could begin five minutes earlier and end five minutes later in one scenario, according to the District 15 website. 

“District 15 is a teaching and learning community. This new timetable is a win-win for the District,” said Thompson. “Students will maintain the same total instructional hours, even as we are providing our faculty with structured professional development time to enhance their teaching skills.”

CTC President Lisa Nuss expressed how important it is to ensure teachers can reach their full potential through development.

“To achieve our goal of helping each student achieve his or her full academic potential, it is vitally important to provide teachers with time and resources to enhance and develop their own professional practice,” Nuss said.

On the District 15, it states parents were made aware of the changes in mid-December. Additional information on transportation and school-specific schedules will be provided by the end of the school year.

For parents who would like to voice their thoughts, concerns or questions about the proposed changes to scheduling, the next District 15 school board meeting will be held Wednesday, January 16 at 7 p.m. at Sundling Jr. High School, 1100 N. Smith Street.  

Currently, Schaumburg District 54 and Buffalo Grove District 96 are two neighboring school districts that implement similar schedules to accommodate professional development time for teachers.

Neighboring high school districts who also utlize this practice include Township High School District 211 and Township High School District 214.

What do you think of these changes? Do the schedule adjustments present any problems at all for parents?

Information provided by District 15.