Manitowoc staff recommend 2026‑27 calendar with weekly early‑release Wednesdays; committee forwards proposal to full board

Manitowoc School District staff presented a draft 2026‑27 calendar that would begin Sept. 1 and include weekly early‑release Wednesdays to give teachers time for professional learning communities, then moved the proposal out of committee for consideration by the full board.

"The goal of creating a calendar for the 26‑27 school year was...to provide the best experience for our kids in this district and provide optimal learning opportunities," Speaker 3 said while introducing the proposal. The draft schedules elementary students to be dismissed 105 minutes early on Wednesdays and secondary students 60 minutes early, with the intent that those partial days be used for teacher collaboration rather than after‑school meetings.

Staff noted the state now requires a set number of instructional hours rather than the old 180‑day rule and that the draft preserves statutory minimums (staff cited figures of about 1,050 hours for elementary and about 1,137 for middle/high school in the memo). The proposal also shifts graduation to Friday, June 4, and builds in one weather‑makeup day (May 7) so additional calendar days at year end may not be necessary.

Board members asked for exact bell times to be confirmed with district operations; one member referenced a social‑media post claiming a 4:05 p.m. high‑school dismissal, and another clarified that the proposed high‑school end time would be about 3:30 p.m. Speaker 3 said she will confirm exact start/end times with the district scheduler before the item goes to the full board.

After discussion, Speaker 2 moved and Speaker 1 seconded a recommendation to forward the calendar to the full board with approval recommended. Committee members responded "Aye." The calendar recommendation will appear on the next full‑board agenda for a final vote.