November 19, 2021 3:50 a.m.

The Roseburg School Board approved a calendar change at its meeting on Wednesday night.

Superintendent Jared Cordon said the plan involves changing Friday December 17th from a student contact day to a teacher workday. That is the day before the winter break. Cordon said that means students will have the day off while school staff are able to use the time to plan and catch up before the break. The proposal was approved on a 7-0 vote.

Cordon said the intent is to ease some of the strain on teachers and staff caused by the pandemic.

Board Chair Rebecca Larson said she wanted to express her gratitude for staff. Larson said, “They are short-staffed and they are short-subbed, and many of them are taking their prep time and filling in for other teachers”.

Human Resources Director Robert Freeman said while the district has been able to provide students with full-time, in-person learning, athletics and extracurricular activities this year, the pandemic has led to additional workloads for staff. Freeman said health and safety protocols, staff shortages and other stressors caused by the pandemic have taken a toll.

A release said in consultation with union leadership and administrators, the district determined that a non-student planning day would be more effective at reducing stress for staff than giving them an extra day off.

Freeman said other districts have taken similar steps, and that making the calendar change now should give families enough time to prepare. He said the district will ensure that students still have access to meals that day, and the change will not affect the district’s ability to meet state requirements around student instructional hours.

Cordon said, “Our employees go above and beyond every day to support students. I am grateful to the Board for acknowledging the need to care for our employees so they can continue to provide the best education possible to our kids”.