The details
According to a district news release, the committee made the recommendation during its April 10 meeting. The main impetus for adding minutes to the school day would be to increase the amount of planning time for teachers. Adding time to the instructional day would provide more planning time by incorporating additional professional development days. If approved, the school day extension would necessitate significant changes to the approved instructional calendar, the release stated.
The news release states district officials are considering the recommendation at this time. Consideration was given to increasing minutes for the 2024-25 school year, but after analyzing the disruption it would cause to transportation, nutrition services and other operational programs, the decision was made to wait until the 2025-26 school year, allowing more time to plan out the logistics.
A closer look
According to the news release, GCISD launched the education advisory committee, which is made up of parents, district employees and administrators, in February. The focus of the committee’s work so far is primarily focused on the high school bell schedules for the 2025-26 school year, which include the following topics:
- Instructional calendar
- Transportation logistics
- Other topics related to campus operations
