Exactly what did the Texas Legislature change regarding the start of the school year?
The Legislature changed Texas Education Code 25.0811 to
read that public school districts cannot begin school before the
fourth Monday in August. The only exception is if the district or
school operates a year-round system under Section 25.084.
How does that law affect MISD?
In previous years, the district worked to maintain consistency
in the calendars as much as possible from year to year.
For example, MISD:
- ended the first semester prior to the winter break so that our middle and high school students took their exams before the long vacation.
- ended the school year in May before Memorial Day.
With the requirement to start no earlier than the fourth Monday in August, MISD will not be able to end the first semester before Winter Break or the school year in May.
What is the holiday schedule in the proposed calendar?
We are very pleased that most of the student holidays have
been retained. They are
September 1: Labor Day
October 6: State Fair Day
November 26-28: Thanksgiving
December 22-January 2: Winter Break
January 19: Martin Luther King Day
March 16-20: Spring Break
May 25: Memorial Day
How many days must children attend school?
Texas currently requires that the public school year contain
180 days for students; however, districts may obtain waivers for
up to five fewer student attendance days for professional development
purposes.
The 2007-08 school calendar proposal includes 177 days for
students, and the district will ask for a waiver for three additional professional development days for staff.
How many days are typically included in the calendar for classroom teachers?
Classroom teachers are employed for 187 days.
Does the district include bad weather days in the
calendar?
The district must provide for two bad weather days late in the
second semester. If those days are not used for bad weather, then
they become district holidays. In the proposed calendar, the two
bad weather days are April 10 and June 5.
It is important that families and staff not count on these days
as holidays because there is always a possibility that bad weather
or an emergency situation earlier in the school year could cause
the district to use one or both of these days as regular school
days.
If the district experiences bad weather, then June 5 will be
the first bad weather day used to replace a missed instructional
day. The final teacher preparation day will immediately follow
the last student day. This is dependent upon the use of
the allocated snow day.
As a parent , community, and/or staff member, what do I need to do?
The district always welcomes input from you. If you have any thoughts about the calendar, you have several options:
- staff members can share their ideas with their supervisor or site administrator.
- other stakeholders can share their ideas with us via email.
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