The Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit 12 Board of Directors has approved weekly early release Wednesdays for teacher professional development in the 2013-2014 school year.
The board made the approval at their meeting on May 9.
With the exception of the month of September, RSU 12 students will be released at 1:30 p.m. each Wednesday instead of 2:30 p.m., which will give teachers 90 minutes each week to spend on professional development, according to interim Superintendent Patricia Watts.
The professional development proposal was initially to change the current 10 three-hour early release days spread throughout the year to late-starts on Wednesdays. Board members, staff, and parents were divided on the benefits and detriments from the options when it was discussed at an April 25 board meeting.
The reason for the change to early releases was the “outcry” from parents about accommodating the late-starts, board chair Hilary Holm said on May 9.
Many working parents indicated they already had accommodations for students when they get out early in the afternoon, she said.
The consistency of the professional development time was more important than whether the time was in the morning or afternoon, Holm said.
