Updated August 5, 2026
How many PD hours do I need in 2026-2027?
If you have a typical teacher contract, then you need 24 hours of professional development each year. Six (6) of those hours are scheduled for you on our District PD Day (Aug 4).  That leaves you with 18 hours of "Flexible Professional Development" for you to schedule with your department, with your school, with your principal, or on your own with principal pre-approval.

1. May 1 Deadline

   •  All PD must be logged in Vector by May 1. 

   • There's a dead-period between May 1 and the district's official "Closing Day" where no PD credit can be earned.

   • Any PD hours earned after the district's "Closing Day" can be counted toward the next school year.

2. Pre-approval
   Request PD credit approval from your principal *before* participating in an outside-the-district PD. Do not assume that it will be approved. 

3. Growth Days (G-Days)
   Growth Days are built into the School Calendar as "Work Day for Teachers." These days are intended for district- and school-organized trainings, department meetings, content area collaboration, and curriculum refinement.  These work days might include some professional development activities, but because they're separately scheduled contract days, you can't also count them as PD hours.

4. Flexible Professional Development
   This is the formal name for the PD hours you need to accrue over the course of the year. They're "flexible" because you often have a choice as to when and where you get these professional development hours. Be sure to get these hours pre-approved by your principal.

Would you explain my contract days, please?

Most teachers are contracted for 185 days. Here's how they add up:
    - 170 Instructional Days
    - 5 Growth Days (G-Days)
    - 4 PD Days (24 hours): One district PD day (6 hours), and 18 hours of Flexible Professional Development
    - 4 Paid Holidays: Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year
    - 1 Opening Day
    - 1 Closing Day

I attended a PD on a Growth Day. Why didn't I get PD credit?

You already got credit/paid for that time as a growth day - as part of your regular contract. You can't "double-dip." Teachers get paid for five Growth Days and 24 hours of PD. It's illegal for the district to pay you for working the Growth Day *and* credit you the hours for PD.

Do I need to clock in for Flexible Professional Development that I attend in the summer? 

No, but it won't hurt anything if you do, so if your principal says to clock in and out, please do. Flexible Professional Development hours are tracked in Vector.  All other contracted days are tracked by clocking in and out with Red Rover.