Photo by George Lauby School Board President Jim Paloucek, at left, and Superintendent David Engle.

Photo by George Lauby Kate Murphy and Brian Moore.

School classes would not start until 10 a.m on Tuesdays in the next school year, according to a proposal officially announced this week by top school administrators.

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Teachers would spend two hours on Tuesday mornings together, talking and working out ways to improve learning in the classrooms. The weekly meetings would replace the current day and half-day "in-service" meetings.

“One to three days, 6-8 hours a day, almost never shows instructional improvement that affects student learning,” Director of Curriculum Kate Murphy said. “For sustained professional development in every school in every week, we need to treat ourselves as professionals who have a lot to learn.”

A lot of issues are yet to be worked out, but Superintendent David Engle said the district should appeal to its best instincts.

“We definitely need to have ambitious academic goals for our students,” Engle told school board members at a work session meeting. “We are going to play to our better angels, not to our hang-dog, lazy angels."

Associate Superintendent Dan Twarling said core administrators have considered the idea since August, and it is time to bring it out, as part of the 2009-10 school calendar. He hopes the board could approve by Dec. 15.

To see the proposed 2009-10 school calendar, click HERE. Then click on "11/24/2009 Board Work Session Meeting - 7:00 p.m." in the upper left corner. Then click on "6. REPORTS AND DISCUSSION ITEMS." Then click on "6.01 First Review of 2010-2011 Draft Calendar (Lead: Dan Twarling)". Then click on the pdf of the calendar.

The Kids Klub before- and after-school program might supervise students during the time teachers meet, but that might overburden the Klub staff, said Michelle Moore of the North Platte teachers’ association.

Moore suggested parents be surveyed see how many students would come to school during those two hours. Supervising 100 students per school would create issues for the Klub, she said.

Twarling said a survey could be needed but didn’t commit to it.

Teacher Christie Copper of Madison Middle School said kids show up as early as 7 a.m. She wondered if they would have to wait until 10 a.m., or how the free breakfast program would be affected.

Copper said she was speaking for other Madison teachers.

At Adams, the first lunch shift is in the mid-morning, Cooper said.

It would be difficult for a working parent to transport children to school in mid-morning, school board member Kathy Phares said.

Parent Brian Moore said the bank where he works employs a lot of parents with young children.

“It would create an obstacle figuring out how to make it work in those households,” he said. “Sometimes another $100 a month in daycare will be a problem.”

Phares said a parent told her that the morning's structure and consistency is critical in getting youngest children to school with a positive attitude.

Osgood school counselor Linda Anderson said routine is often “crucial, behavior-wise” for a significant number of students.

Engle said obstacles could be overcome and issues resolved.

“In the future it’s clear there will be a need for really smart graduates,” he said.

Engle was an assistant principal at Bellevue High School in Washington State when Bellevue adopted the two-hour per week “in-service” session. Bellevue later became one of the top 25 schools in the country, he said.

"Kids started showing up because it was a exciting place to be," he said. "The benefits for the community are enormous, provided we are thoughtful about how we use the time and organize it.”

To a question from board president Jim Paloucek, Murphy said, “Learning doesn’t improve unless instructional practices improve, and that happens when professional development is embedded and ongoing.”

Paloucek said the district might need to spend more money to help parents out, maybe for transportation. He said there must be positive results.

"It has to be effective," he said. "I really think we have to be committed to lessening (family) inconveniences as much as we can. If we get two years down the road and don‘t see improvement, then the inconvenience goes away."

"Can we have three years?" Engle said.