Most parents of Northbrook School District 28 students support lengthening the school day and expanding the world language program to first-graders, according to the district superintendent.
Nearly 84 percent of the 251 parents who responded to a district-wide survey indicated they would prefer extending the school day and expand world language to first-graders, Superintendent Larry Hewitt said in a letter to parents.
District officials have studied the possibility of offering the world language program to lower grade levels over the past year.
In a previous interview, Hewitt said that expanding the program could alter the existing schedule and suggested one solution would be to start school earlier and end later to accommodate the new program.
In the letter, Hewitt said the survey was mailed to parents of children in all grades, but the strongest response was from parents of second- and third-graders.
Although the vast majority of parents who responded said they would prefer lengthening the school day, nearly 13 percent indicated they favored maintaining the current day and nearly 4 percent said they have no preference, according to the letter.
Staff members also were surveyed, and like parents, a majority said they would prefer lengthening the school day and starting world language in first grade, according to Hewitt’s letter. About 52 percent of the 114 staff members surveyed expressed this view. About 34 percent indicated they wanted to maintain the current school day, and 14 had no preference.
Hewitt has said that if implemented, the extended school day would only be for students; teachers’ days would remain the same. The letter explained that elementary school students would attend school from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and the kindergarten day would be lengthened by 15 minutes. Northbrook Junior High School’s schedule would not change.
First- through fifth-graders would receive 30 minutes of Spanish instruction. Students also would get an additional five minutes for lunch and recess and another five minutes for passing periods.
Drop-off for band and orchestra would begin at about 7:30 a.m., and rehearsal would start at 7:45 a.m., according to Hewitt’s letter.
About half of the parents surveyed said they have children in band or orchestra. More than 38 percent of parents said the earlier start likely wouldn’t impact their children’s involvement in band or orchestra, according to the letter. About 10 percent said their children might be less inclined to participate.
Hewitt shared the survey results with the Board of Education Feb. 16. Discussion is scheduled to continue Feb. 28, when the board could possibly vote on expanding the world language program and extending the school day
