Public hearing opens on proposed 2024–25 four‑day school week; teachers praise negotiations committee

The Goshen County School District #1 board opened a public input hearing on the proposed 2024–25 four‑day school week calendar and invited comments before submitting the calendar to WDE.

Teachers who served on the negotiations committee told the board the draft calendar was shaped through sustained, multi‑stakeholder meetings. "We had eight meetings that lasted an hour and a half and 32 committee members from classified staff, certified staff, parents and board members," said Jess Bu, a fourth‑grade teacher at Trail Elementary and a negotiations‑committee member, praising the group’s collaborative tone.

Bu said the committee plans to issue another survey at the end of May and an additional survey this fall to gather more community input and refine the calendar. "We will put out another survey at the end of May and I do plan to put out another survey this fall to give us some guidance," Bu said.

"Every voice is valuable and every voice on that committee is heard," said Abby Brew, a special‑education teacher at Lincoln Elementary who represents special‑education staff on the committee. Brew said the group often reached consensus and that its discussions were driven by a shared focus on students and staff.

Board members emphasized that the draft calendar will be sent to WDE (as referenced in the meeting) and that the additional surveys will inform any further changes. No formal vote on the calendar itself was recorded at this hearing; the board moved on to other agenda items after the public comments.

Next steps: the board and staff will collect the survey results identified at the meeting and continue refining the calendar before formal submission to WDE.