The letter — sent less than a week before the start of the school year, which is Tuesday — upset many in the education community, who criticized both the timing and the proposal.

“If we want relevant, value-added and exceptional professional development, we need to be treated like professionals,” said Sarah Pedersen, a teacher at Binford Middle School. “Changing our contract hours one working day ahead of the start of school is not that. It’s disrespectful and has caused a great deal of stress for teachers and staff across the district.”

The Richmond Education Association said last week that it’s concerned about the proposal and is working with the administration to address it.

Kamras said he plans on consulting his Teacher Advisory Council and his Principal Advisory Council to evaluate the division’s professional development before a new plan is presented for next school year.

“I agree with the criticism regarding the timing of all of these announcements,” Kamras said. “Though the lateness of these communications was driven by external factors, we simply must find a way to do better.”