Officials vote for 175-day calendar

In hopes to find “a middle ground” from the state’s Public Education Department’s proposed changes to school calendars, the Clovis Municipal Schools Board on Tuesday unanimously voted for a 175-day calendar.

CMS Superintendent Renee Russ said the new calendar will preserve eight professional days for staff.

“The ironic thing about this calendar as compared to the 180-day calendar we put together just in case is that this generates more total instructional hours than a 180-day student calendar would,” Russ said.

Russ said the drafted 180-day calendar would take away five days of professional time from teachers and be “a handful of hours shorter.”

Superintendents from across the state will be attending the hearing for the 180-day lawsuit on Monday at the district courthouse in Roswell.

Russ said depending on the results of the hearing she may have to come back to the board with a revision that would include an addition of an early release day.

Clovis is currently on a 170-day school calendar. The 175-day calendar will begin Aug. 1, 2024 and end May 23, 2025.