River Trails changing start of school day

Time will be arranged a little bit differently next year in River Trails Elementary District 26.

District leaders have decided to alter the daily instruction schedule to allow for weekly professional-development sessions with teachers, officials said.

The changes are as follows: Four days of each week, students will begin school 10 minutes earlier than they do now. On the remaining day, they will begin school 40 minutes later.

Teachers will have professional-development sessions during those first 40 minutes of the "late-arrival" days. The new schedule will be in effect for the 2015-16 school year.

Now, professional development generally occurs in daylong sessions that are spaced weeks, or even months, apart.

"It's hard to maintain momentum or focus when so much time passes between sessions," District 26 Curriculum Director Matt Silverman said. "This model seemed to be a better use of our time."

Students will receive the same amount of instruction each week under the new schedule, Silverman said. Over the course of the entire year, students could actually gain a day or two of instruction.

"We won't have to devote entire days to professional development anymore," Silverman said.

District officials acknowledged that the late-arrival days, which will occur on Thursdays, might present a challenge to working parents. Silverman encouraged parents who are worried about the later start time to contact the district and discuss options.

"I'm a parent, too, and I know that a change like this can be a hassle," Silverman said.

District 26 has discussed the new schedule with the River Trails Park District, which operates Kid Squad, a before- and after-school program for River Trails students. The park district indicated that it will adjust its program to accommodate changes in demand that result from the new schedule, Silverman said.

District 26 is based in Mount Prospect and serves portions of Mount Prospect, Des Plaines and Prospect Heights.