Independence schools to see new calendar next year

The Independence School District will have a consistent schedule for the 2024-25 school year, but it will differ slightly from other Trempealeau Valley Co-op (TVC) schools after unanimous school board approval last Monday.

Wednesdays in Independence have featured a different schedule than other weekdays for approximately the last 10 years, and those days will run longer in 2024-25.

Classes will end at 3:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays next year, while Wednesday school days will end at 2:55 p.m. after sixth hour, opposed to this year’s setup that sees students end Wednesdays at 2:35 p.m.

Four days a week, 2:55 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. will serve as intervention time for students to seek and receive additional learning help. On Wednesdays, that time will be used by staff for PLC (Professional Learning Community) time and students will be released.

Blair-Taylor releases students for a typical day at 3:10 while Whitehall and Arcadia are done at 3:15. Independence will end its day slightly later than the other TVC schools at 3:30 p.m. four days a week.

That is later because Independence has only one music teacher that has to fit into the elementary, middle and high school schedules opposed to the other districts housing multiple music teachers. Independence couldn’t fit their intervention time into the middle of the day because of that music need.

Independence’s schedule also differs from the TVC schools in that the district will have additional staff inservice days on Sept. 20 and April 17.

Independence is still 4.3 days over the mandated DPI learning time for students, meaning they can fit four canceled school days into next year if needed for weather.

The last day of school is currently slated for June 5, 2025.

More communication will be sent to parents, and staff were notified of the changes last week.