The Portage Township School Board’s discussion of starting the school year later has prompted school boards elsewhere to consider the idea in the future.
Post-Tribune coverage of the board’s previous meeting was noticed by board members elsewhere, President Andy Maletta said.
“I received a couple of emails from neighboring districts’ school board members who said they had not even had any of these discussions with their districts,” he said. It’s too late for the 2025-26 school year, “but they would be interested in learning and talking more about the following year because they are in agreement as well that we should be working together, maybe delay it back. It did spur some folks who said, ‘Hey, wait a minute.’”
“That’s coming from the school board level, not the administration level, so we’ll see where that goes,” Maletta said.
He’s concerned about the effect on tourism and summer jobs of starting the school year earlier. Parents have voiced concerns about starting the school year in early August, he said.
Next year, Portage students will report to school on Monday, Aug. 18, pushing the end of the first semester to Jan. 9. The second semester ends June 3.
Starting the school year on a Monday gives an additional weekend before the start of school and gives Portage’s employees an extra three days of summer compared to their counterparts in other Porter County school districts, Superintendent Amanda Alaniz said.
School Board member Lori Wilkie asked about students coming back from Christmas break and having to take final exams when they return after two weeks away from school.
“We can be creative in terms of addressing that,” Alaniz said. Exams can be given at the end of the first week back in January to allow time to review material covered in the first semester. Or teachers can give exams before Christmas break while the material is still fresh in students’ minds.
Involving the Portage Association of Teachers in discussions of the school calendar has provided valuable insights that will be useful in future years, she said.
Drafting a school calendar isn’t just a matter of throwing darts at a calendar to see what sticks. Portage’s school year starts two weeks after other districts, Alaniz said, which affects vocational education and other programs done in conjunction with other districts in the county. For dual credit courses, the college grading periods need to be taken into account.
It’s also important to keep the graduation date – June 10, 2026 – within reason “so that we’re not having students deploy to the armed forces or need to relocate for college and things where they would have to miss their high school graduation,” she said.
Starting the school year on a Monday will be a challenge for the youngest students. “A five-day week can be a challenge” for kindergartners, Alaniz said.
Maletta thanked Alaniz and Associate Superintendent Michael Stephens, who worked on the schedule, for the third draft that postpones the start of the school year. “I’m sure our families are going to be appreciative of that,” he said.
Board Vice President Wilma Vazquez said she would like to see feedback from families about the longer summer.
In other business, the board increased pay for what are now being called permanent flex substitute teachers. They show up at the high school or middle school five days a week, filling in wherever necessary. There are eight of these employees in the district, Alaniz said.
Retroactive to Nov. 1, their daily rate is $125. If they have an Indiana teaching license, their rate is $135.
These permanent flex subs also will be able to participate in the district’s major medical, dental and vision insurance plans beginning Jan. 1, at the same rates as support staff.
The board also approved seeking waivers to U.S. Department of Education rules to allow increased flexibility in meeting requirements for paraprofessionals. One would allow paraprofessionals to complete 10 online courses within two months of their employment as an alternative to completing two years of college or passing the assessment with a score of 460 or higher.
Another waiver would allow some of Portage’s Title 4 grant to be used for technology.
Vazquez said instructional assistants with two years of college make $12 an hour in Portage but a dollar an hour more in some surrounding districts.
Portage wants to continue to recruit and retain the best personnel, Alaniz said. “There have been increases in these wages over the years.”
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
