District 41 adds 35 minutes to elementary school day

The school day for elementary students in Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 will be 35 minutes longer next year.

The new school day, which was approved by the school board Monday, will last from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. instead of the current 9 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. The schedule at the junior high school will not change.

To implement this change for next year, the district will have to jump-start its hiring of two additional elementary foreign language teachers — originally included in budget projections for the 2016-17 school year.

The district also projects a change in the elementary bus route schedule at a cost of about $40,000.

The school day change is the result of contract negotiations between teams representing the school board and the district's teachers union, the Glen Ellyn Education Association.

Under the agreement with the union, the new schedule will provide uninterrupted blocks of time for instruction in the core subjects, such as math and literacy, according to board documents. Students in grades one through three will get 175 more minutes in core instructional classes per week, while those in grades four and five will be in these classes 25 more minutes per week, according to district documents.

Kids will also be able to enjoy special classes, such as art and physical education, in blocks of time.

Among the agreement's other provisions, teachers will get 15 more minutes per day for planning/collaboration time. Parent/teacher conferences will be held over four evenings, and there will be no school during the week of Thanksgiving.

The collective bargaining agreement with teachers was also extended to June 30, 2018.

The school board unanimously approved the changes at Monday's board meeting. Adding more time to the school day has been discussed in the district for several years.

But some community members were upset with the change and the process by which it was negotiated and communicated to the community.

“The longer school day for the elementary schools I don't believe is a positive change,” parent Sarah Mical said. “These children are already working at a rigorous level.”

But board members strongly favored the new schedule.

Board member Erica Nelson said she thinks lengthening the school day will help provide more time to be reflective.

And board member Joe Bochenski said the change would benefit teachers and students.

“Teacher contact time for each student is increasing, and that to me is great,” he said.