PCSD weighs earlier Friday release times, freshman-only first day at high school

Photo: TownLift // Rayne Moynahan

Proposed calendar changes would shift Friday dismissal earlier for elementary schools and Ecker Hill while giving Park City High School freshmen a day to adjust before upper grades return

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City School District families could see earlier Friday dismissal times at elementary schools and Ecker Hill Middle School next school year, while Park City High School freshmen may get the building largely to themselves on the first day of school under calendar changes discussed by the Board of Education Tuesday.

District officials proposed changing Friday release times only for the district’s four elementary schools and Ecker Hill. Under the proposal, elementary schools would release at 12:10 p.m. instead of 12:30 p.m., while Ecker Hill would release at 12:50 p.m. instead of 1:35 p.m. Park City High School’s Friday release time would not change.

The change would give elementary teachers an additional 20 minutes of planning and preparation time on Fridays and Ecker Hill staff an additional 35 minutes. Over the course of the school year, district officials estimated that this would amount to about 11 additional hours for elementary staff and 19 additional hours for middle school staff.

District staff said they had worked with transportation, child nutrition, and community partners and did not anticipate negative impacts to services or students. Board members also discussed the need to gather more feedback from parents before moving forward.

The board also discussed a separate calendar adjustment for the first day of school. Under that change, pre-K through ninth-grade students would begin school Aug. 19, while students in grades 10 through 12 would begin Aug. 20.

At Park City High School, the adjustment would allow freshmen and other new students to begin the year without the full upperclass student body on campus. Principal Caleb Fine said the transition to high school has become more significant since the district moved away from the former Treasure Mountain structure, which previously served as a step between middle school and high school.

Fine said the freshman-first-day would focus on school culture, student supports, expectations, and helping students learn the building before the rest of the student body returns.

“It’s a school community council goal for ours next year — we just want to set them up for success,” Fine said.

The model would be similar to how the district supports sixth graders at Ecker Hill, where incoming students spend the first part of the year working with advisory groups, learning the school, and navigating their schedules before fully settling into the middle school environment.

The board approved the first-day calendar change on Tuesday, setting Aug. 19 as the first day for pre-K through ninth grade and Aug. 20 for grades 10-12.

The Friday early-release proposal remains under review. Board members discussed gathering additional parent feedback before taking action on that change, which would affect the district’s four elementary schools and Ecker Hill Middle School but not Park City High School.