School days will be lengthened by 20 minutes after spring vacation. The school district elected to pursue this option to make up the time lost to snow, as an alternative to adding days to the end of the year.

Specifically for Kennedy, this means that the school day will begin at 7:45 a.m. and end at 2:55 p.m.

The following information was released by the Cedar Rapids Community School District:

“Beginning on Monday, March 30, 2015, classes in the Cedar Rapids Community School District will begin 10 minutes earlier and will end 10 minutes later. The schedule adjustment will help the District make up instructional time lost to weather-related delays and cancellations without extending the school year. All District elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as preschool and alternative kindergarten programs, will follow the adjusted schedule through the end of the 2014-15 school year.

‘This is the first year that we have counted our school year according to hours rather than days,’ explained Dr. Dave Benson, Superintendent. ‘One of the reasons we did this was to allow us to make up lost instructional time by adjusting the length of the school day schedule rather than adding days to the end of the school year.’

Beginning March 30, 2015:

Elementary schools will begin the school day at 8:50 a.m. and conclude at 3:55 p.m.

Morning preschool and alternative kindergarten classes will be from 8:30 -11:40 a.m.

Afternoon preschool and alternative kindergarten classes will be from 12:40 – 3:50 p.m.

Middle schools will begin classes at 7:50 a.m. and dismiss at 3:00 p.m.

Jefferson High School will begin classes at 7:40 a.m. and dismiss at 3:10 (with an early dismissal on Wednesdays)

Kennedy High School will begin classes at 7:45 a.m. and dismiss at 2:55 p.m.

Metro High School will begin classes at 7:50 a.m. and dismiss at 3:26 (with an early dismissal on Wednesdays)

Washington High School will begin classes at 8:05 a.m. and dismiss at 3:15 p.m.

Scheduled District early-dismissal times will not change and will continue to be 12:30 p.m. for middle and high schools and 1:30 p.m. for elementary schools.

Unless additional weather-related delays or cancellations occur, the current school year concludes on June 5, 2015. (Classes at Taylor Elementary School end on May 28, 2015.)”

Update: Read more about Kennedy’s extended schedule here.