Input Requested on Draft 91探花
- February 12, 2026
- Shannon Wisdom
- 2 Minute Read
Dear HUUSD Community,
The superintendent requests your feedback on before he presents it to the school board on Wednesday, February 18.
Your input matters, and we want to ensure the calendar reflects both state requirements and family feedback. Please share your feedback by the end of the day on Friday, February 13.
Coordinating Our 91探花 with the CVCC
Because we send students to the Central Vermont Career Center (CVCC), state statute requires that all of the sending schools have a common calendar with the CVCC. This draft calendar includes 176 shared days and meets that requirement.
November Election Day
This is a November election year. The Town of Waterbury uses our school as its polling location, and due to past security concerns, students will not be able to be present in the building on Election Day. While a Tuesday off is not ideal, it remains the safest and most practical option to meet the needs of the town.
Early Release Wednesdays
Beginning in the 2026–2027 school year, students will be dismissed early one Wednesday per month, September - May (excluding January) as indicated in light blue on the draft calendar. On these 8 days, elementary school students will be dismissed at 11:30; middle/high school students at 12:30.
Early release days provide valuable, ongoing professional development by creating regular, job-embedded time for cross-grade and cross-discipline collaboration. Staff will engage in Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) work, district and school committees (such as Safety, MTSS, or PBIS), student meetings, and "job-alike" group collaboration across the district.
This professional development model is used in many districts throughout Vermont and across the United States due to its efficacy and efficiency. The professional work will include a mix of district- and school-based professional work furthering our continuous improvement plans and other standing district committees and commitments. This schedule will result in cost savings, making it possible to eliminate costs for work previously occurring beyond contractual hours and efficiently deliver the professional development all teachers are required to engage in. Finally, the early release day model allows the district to sustain important work such as mentoring new teachers and supporting school-based leadership teams that were previously funded through federal or grant monies.
We are communicating with various local childcare and afterschool activity providers to promote a variety of opportunities for children on these 8 early release days.