The Naperville School District 203 school board is postponing its vote on potential school day changes after nearly two dozen parents and teachers shared concerns over those changes at Tuesday night’s board meeting.
“I’m saying no to those talking about the school day like it’s a done deal, knowing fully well that it’s got to be negotiated,” said AnneMarie Tomek, PE teacher at Madison Junior High School.
What’s on the table for school day changes
Two weeks ago, District 203 staff unveiled a plan to the school board in which:
- All elementary schools would add 15 minutes to their day but start a half hour earlier, at 7:45 a.m. instead of 8:15 a.m.
- Middle school would shift both the start and end times by nearly an hour later, beginning at 8:50 a.m. and ending at 3:40 p.m., while adding in a flexible block schedule.
- High schools would shift their start times to 8:20 a.m., 35 minutes later than the current start, but end at the same time they do now – 3:20 p.m. – shortening the school day while also moving to a block schedule, extending class time to 85 minutes.
From Naperville School District 203
Community weighs in
The most recent board meeting was the first opportunity for parents and teachers to publicly weigh in on the anticipated rollout of the full proposal.
“Starting the elementary school day at 7:45 puts us way out of line with neighboring districts and will make it challenging for young students to get enough sleep,” said one Beebe Elementary School parent.
Other common concerns: time left for sports and extracurricular activities, and longer class times for block scheduling.
“You talk about how increased time, blocked time increases your attention? It does not. It does not increase focus time,” said one parent. “For adults, 30 minutes is your attention span. So with kids trying to get them 100-minute, 86-minute time blocks? You’re going to lose them.”
Administrators say it’s all in an effort to be innovative while furthering social-emotional learning and college and career readiness.
“The proposed middle school schedule introduces several enhancements to better meet student needs, provide personalized learning opportunities, and address key structural challenges,” said Allison Boutet, the district’s assistant superintendent of administrative services for junior high schools.
Moving forward without a vote
The administration was hoping to implement these changes as soon as this coming fall.
“These are the right things for our experiences in the schools, in the classrooms for our classrooms and I think responsive to data that we have from staff as well,” said Superintendent Dan Bridges.
But not everyone is on board with the plan as it currently stands.
“The hardships created for families and staff far outweigh any potential benefits at this time,” said board member Melissa Kelley Black.
“This is not enough time for teachers to adequately prepare for the upcoming school year,” said Amy Volgelsang, EL teacher at Naperville North High School.
School board members praised those behind the plan for their research but acknowledged the community’s concerns, asking for more time to explore the many unanswered questions.
“I do support the recommendation because I like how it addresses time, but I am concerned we might be doing this too quickly,” said Board President Kristine Gericke. “I just want to make sure that how we do this keeps our students fully at the center.”
The board was planning to vote on the proposal at its next meeting on February 18 but took that off the agenda, instead putting more discussion without action on the docket.
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