School board approves schedule

WASHINGTON — School board members voted unanimously Wednesday night to approve a calendar for the 2022-23 academic year. The calendar runs through May 25, and while it mostly lines up with the year prior, there are a few key changes from the original plan.

Board members voted to make the first and last day of the first week of school early-out days, rather than the whole week.

“I feel like it’d be a bad idea to have four early outs,” Board Member Troy Suchan said. “It gets them too used to something that’s not realistic.”

The district also will extend its spring break from three days to five, creating a full week off the district has not had in several years by dropping down to two planned snow days.

“My first year here, we had spring break, and we also had the ‘snow-pocalypse’ that year,” Superintendent Willie Stone said. “We missed 11 days and went to June 9. “That next year we moved it to being three days. We’re far enough removed from that, that the realization of going to June 9 is gone now.“

The district is also adding a day off on Feb. 17, a move some board members were hesitant about.

“We’re going for a break in February, but we’re also going to a whole week break in March,” Suchan said. “The two of them together seem (like) a lot.”

Stone defended the plan for an extra day off before the third term’s start.

“January to March is the longest haul of the year,” he said. “It’s really hard on our kids and it becomes hard on our staff.”

Another major change regarding early-out days has the district is keeping Friday early releases, they will happen at 1:20 instead of 1:10.

“That helps us gain time and it still allows our teachers to be working at an early out,” Stone said. “That gave us enough time to still give us 1,105 (hours.)”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com