More Work Weeks Proposed for Gibraltar Teachers

Gibraltar School. File photo.

Board president suggests more professional-development days, shorter summers

An “alternate” school calendar proposed by Gibraltar’s board president received little support from board members and the public this week.

Minutes before the board agenda called for discussion and possible approval of a traditional 2022-23 school calendar, President Stephen Seyfer, a retired superintendent, on Monday asked the board to consider a school calendar that called for more consecutive days of professional development, planning and data assessment for teachers.

In short, the calendar Seyfer put in front of the board members eliminated one-day teacher-inservice times during the school year and proposed a week and a half of professional-development days Aug. 15-31, and two weeks of professional development June 19-30. His calendar also blocked out Oct. 17-21, Dec. 19-23, Jan. 30-31, Feb. 1-3 and March 27-31 for instructors and administrators to “assess teaching, learning, plan next teaching strategies, communicate with parents and have teacher team meetings.”

The calendar would have students in school Sept. 1-June 16, with spring break April 3-7. 

“I asked Mrs. Van Meer to include an alternative calendar” for discussion, Seyfer said of his proposal that appeared in the packet for the meeting, which Van Meer did not attend due to what Seyfer said was a family emergency. Van Meer is retiring from Gibraltar at the end of the school year, and the board has hired a search firm to find her replacement.

Seyfer said typical calendars schedule 172-180 days for students in the classroom, a week off at Christmas and at spring break, and then single days for teachers to have professional-development activities. He said typical calendars derive from improvement ideas as far back as 1906, but now districts expect teachers to do their class planning during evenings and weekends. He said they have little time to assess all of the rich information provided through district and state-required standardized testing, and they should have more scheduled, paid time to plan strategies for helping students in their classrooms who learn in different ways.

Seyfer said Wisconsin districts typically have calendars that adhere to those that would be approved by teachers back in the pre-2011 days, when collective bargaining with teachers was required by law. He said students learn better during consecutive days of teaching, and teachers could see better results and adjust their teaching to help students learn better if they had consecutive days of development, planning and assessment.

“Why do we do what we do? We can do better. Let’s make a plan for advancing our use of time,” Seyfer said, noting that having consecutive planning, learning and development days during and at the beginning and end of the school years would help teachers learn better and rush less through planning during their free time. Seyfer also said there are classrooms where teachers tend to wind down teaching and prepare for summer vacation two weeks before the school year is out.

Seyfer said he doubts any teacher, during his or her advanced college studies, dreamed of having summers off to be a part-time restaurant server.

Longtime board member Mike Peot said the idea was “refreshing,” considering how boards mainly concern themselves with “When is spring break?” when they discuss calendars. But Peot said many parents would have difficulties finding child care or supervision when students were off school for multiple days of teacher inservice. He and board member Don Helm also said their new superintendent, once hired, would likely want some input into the school calendar. Helm said he would not want to make a decision without that input.

New board member Jeremy Schwab said he appreciated some of Seyfer’s ideas but questioned whether the district could just flip a switch for such a major change. Board member Erick Schrier said maybe the board and administration could incorporate some alterations to a traditional calendar at this time. 

Ultimately, the board decided not to vote on any calendar at all until later in the month or in April.

Idea Meets Resistance

Seyfer read online comments from Zoom-meeting observers – some supportive and some not. Some cited the value of children and teachers getting a break in the summer and the importance of Gibraltar retaining teachers who want the summer off. More than one commented that teachers were not asked for their input, and Seyfer’s proposal came as a surprise.

“No decision about us, without us,” said Kelsey Weddig, referring to what she has heard from teachers. 

Weddig said she knew teachers were under stress that has built up and could lead to burnout. A nursing student and Gibraltar graduate, Weddig said the board should help teachers find solutions “before jumping to conclusions.”

Parent Rob Rericha asked whether summer school would take place in July or in June if teachers were scheduled for professional-development days during the last two weeks of June. Seyfer said the district certainly would have summer school. He did not say when that would be, but he said better use of planning time would result in fewer students needing that extra support during the summer.

Parent and restaurant owner Lauren Schar said many teachers look forward to having part-time summer jobs in the local service industry, and employers throughout the peninsula rely on those teachers and local students for their summer workforces.