Early-release Wednesdays reduced to once a month as part of employee contract negotiation

Press release from Alachua County Public Schools

ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – Under an agreement between Alachua County Public Schools and the Alachua County Education Association, which represents most district employees, early-release Wednesdays will be limited to the third Wednesday of each month for the 2024-25 school year.

In March 2025, the early-release Wednesday will be on the fourth Wednesday, March 26, so that it does not conflict with Spring Break.

The change will apply to all elementary schools in the district, plus all students at High Springs Community School, A. Quinn Jones School, and Sidney Lanier School, which also follow the early release schedule. It will also affect the newly-reopened Duval Early Learning Academy for prekindergarten students.

Under the previous schedule, students at the affected schools left school 68 minutes early every Wednesday. That time was set aside for teacher planning, meetings, and other activities.

The change will add approximately six days of instructional time to the school year. Teachers will have planning time on regular Wednesdays while their students are in other classes.

“We appreciate ACEA’s willingness to work with us on this change,” said Superintendent Shane Andrew. “It will give our students much more direct instructional time, which is critical to raising their academic achievement.”

A full schedule of start and dismissal times for the upcoming school year, including early release Wednesdays, is available at https://www.sbac.edu/schoolhours .

Families have been notified through email and phone of the change. They have also received texts if they’ve opted in to the district’s texting notification system.

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