Medical Lake School District to begin late start on Fridays in September

The Medical Lake School District is taking steps to help teachers address new district initiatives, as well as federal and state educational standards — one of them being additional prep time.

At its April 28 meeting, the Medical Lake school board approved an agreement to provide release time for staff — a one-hour late start on Friday mornings — beginning in September of the 2015-16 school year.

Under the agreement, teachers will arrive at their buildings 30 minutes early and work for an hour. Principals and administration will oversee the late start. Teachers will still meet in their professional learning communities.

Superintendent Tim Ames explained that the late start will give teachers additional time for targeted professional learning, as well as help them keep up-to-date with the changes to federal and state mandates for developing curriculum such as the further implementation of the new teacher-principal evaluation system and the new Washington State Learning Standards — Common Core.

Ames said he met with Cheney School District Superintendent Dr. Deb Clemens, as well as other school administrators to discuss how additional release time has helped their districts.

“Most of the school districts in Spokane County have some kind of late start program,” Ames said. “Medical Lake has done a nice job without having release time, but the demands right now are so high.”

The district conducted surveys and meetings with staff, asking them what resources they could provide that would be helpful. Ames said all of the surveys and meetings had a common answer — more time.

The district is working on a communication plan to inform the community about the release time in hopes of making the transition an easy one.

“We want to make sure to let the community know that this isn’t just an extra planning period for our teachers,” Ames said.

Ames knows the late start will impact families, particularly those who rely on school care for their children. The district is contacting local daycares, libraries, parks and recreation departments and other community programs to provide a place for children to go if they cannot be at home because their parents have to work in the morning.

“We’ve already talked with Fairchild (Air Force Base) and they’re willing to adjust the time when the Youth Center and Child Development Center are open on Friday mornings,” Ames said.

He added that the district is going to apply for a 21st Century grant to help pay for before- and after-school programs at Hallett Elementary and the middle school.

Ames hopes the extra time will not only give staff more time to transfer and implement programs new programs, but also help them work on instructional framework and be “more proficient.”

“It also gives teachers more time to dig deep on new lessons,” Ames said. “When you only have 30 minutes, you sometimes just get to scratch the surface.”

Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.