1. Finding Time for Professional Learning Communities;
Seeking Stakeholder Proposals
Process for Submitting Proposals
Stakeholders can follow these steps to submit a proposal:
1. Review the background information to understand: a.) the concept of Professional learning Communities; b.) the
previous proposal; and c.) the stakeholder survey results to understand the stakeholder concerns of the initial proposal.
2. Review the criteria for proposing a schedule change (below).
3. Submit your proposal via email. Complete the template on the following page, save the document and email it to Keri
Rickey (krickey@dunlapcusd.net) by April 6th, 2011.
Background Information
Dunlap Schools is seeking stakeholder proposals on ways to find time for teachers to meet in Professional Learning Communities.
PLCs are a research-based best practice that many schools across America and internationally have implemented. In summary; “High performing schools tend
to promote collaborative cultures, support professional communities and exchanges among all staff and cultivate strong ties among the school, parents, and
community. . . . Teachers and staff collaborate to remove barriers to student learning. . . . Teachers communicate regularly with each other about effective
teaching and learning strategies” (National Education Association, 2006).
Teachers will use PLC time to meet together to review student data, share best practices and address four key questions: 1) What do we want students to know
and be able to do? 2) How will we know if students have learned? 3) How will we respond if they don’t learn? 4) How will we respond when students do learn?
A common way that schools create an hour of PLC time is by beginning the school day 15 minutes earlier four days a week (banking 60 minutes) and dismissing
one hour early one day a week (using the banked 60 minutes for PLC time). There are many different ways that school districts can implement PLC time for
teachers and many of the methods require very little additional costs. Dunlap Schools invites stakeholders to submit proposals that meet the following criteria:
 Proposals must be “system-wide” providing release time for ALL teachers K-12.
 Proposals must be “instructional time” neutral (no reduction in student total instructional minutes per week).
 Proposals must be as “teacher work day” neutral as possible (not adding minutes to the current teacher work day).
 Proposals must include at least 45 minutes between start/stop times of elementary and secondary schools. The middle and high school schedules need
to be on the same/very similar schedule.
 Dunlap secondary schools dismiss students later than all other secondary schools in the Mid Illini conference. The unintended consequence of the
current schedule is that students often miss the last couple periods of the day in order to travel to participate in extracurricular activities. Dismissing the
secondary schools earlier is desirable.
The Dunlap School District is encouraging innovative and creative proposals! The District Leadership Team will review all stakeholder proposals and will
determine the next steps to ensuring an hour per week for teachers to meet in PLCs. We look forward to your participation!
-Dr. J. Jay Marino, Superintendent

2. Schedule Change Proposal Template
*All proposals need to meet the criteria identified on the previous page.
Name of Person/Group
Submitting Proposal:
Dunlap Grade School BLT
Contact Information
Email:
jetnyre@dunlapcusd.net
Phone:
309-243-7772

3. Total Minutes
Current Schedule
Proposed
Schedule Change
M-F
Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday, Friday
Wednesday Schedule
Start Time
End Time
Start Time
End Time
Start Time
End Time
Elementary School
7 hours
7:45
2:45
7:40
2:45
7:40
1:45*
Middle School
7 hours

4. 3:30
8:25
3:30 Please email this document to Keri Rickey (krickey@dunlapcusd.net ) by April 6th, 2011
8:25
2:30*
High School
6 hours, 54 minutes
8:24
3:30
8:19
3:30
8:19
2:30*
HS Zero Hour
49 minutes
7:30
8:19
7:18
8:16
none
none
Briefly explain the
proposed schedule
change and the
rationale for
suggesting it:
Take away 2 ½
institute days and turn
them into student
attendance days (1 ½
at the beginning and 1
in Spring) and add 2
additional SIP days
(totaling 8). Everyone
will begin school 5
minutes earlier, too.