No more get-out-early days for Wichita secondary students

A shorter school year means Wichita middle- and high-school students will no longer get out of school early for parent-teacher conferences or final exams, a district official said.

“Because of the concern about instructional time, we have indicated that every day kids are in school will be a full day,” said Bill Faflick, assistant superintendent for secondary schools.

Earlier this week, district leaders approved a budget-cutting measure that lengthened the school day for Wichita students and trimmed 15 days from the academic calendar.

The revised calendar – 158 days instead of 173 – will meet the state-mandated 1,116 hours of instruction for the year, but with less of a “buffer” for snow days and early-release days, Faflick said.

High school seniors in Wichita, who end classes about a week before the district’s official last day of school, will be particularly close to the minimum instructional time, he said.

To avoid a situation where seniors or others would have to make up time, all Wichita secondary schools have been instructed to end any practice of releasing students early for parent-teacher conferences, final exams or other reasons.

“It could be challenging, but it’s one of those things we have to do,” Faflick said.

Not all secondary schools release students early on parent-teacher conference days, but many do. Some K-8 and middle schools, for example, hold three days of conferences each fall and three in the spring, releasing students around lunchtime on the second and third days.

Most high schools hold conferences after the regular school day but release students early during final exams – two to three days each December and again in May.

Faflick said elementary schools may continue to release students early on conference days next year. And Wichita East High School, which hosts a daylong state music festival each April, will continue to excuse students from classes that day.

Wichita principals have “known for months” that early releases could end under a revised academic calendar, Faflick said. After teachers and board members approved it, secondary principals have been tweaking bell schedules, conference schedules and final-exam days to reflect the changes, he said.

“Those have to go to the printer to be put into agendas for next (school) year,” Faflick said. “So now it’s about finessing and getting those details worked out.”

The revised calendar is projected to trim about $3 million from next year’s budget. Officials said savings would come primarily through a reduction in transportation and utility costs, as well as a reduced need for substitute teachers.

This story was originally published June 10, 2016 at 10:09 AM with the headline "No more get-out-early days for Wichita secondary students."