Another North Texas public school district has asked stakeholders to weigh in on possible changes to the upcoming academic calendar.
Carroll ISD sent out a survey to staff and parents of students, giving them the chance to select from three different scheduling options. They will be able to indicate their preferences until December 4.
Officials hope that by asking for input from families in particular, they might be able to avoid having too many students missing school because of vacations.
“Attendance has been a problem, and as of last year, it looks like we lost $3.2 million in funding due to vacations,” explained Christy Stacy, place 1 trustee, during a November 13 school board meeting, according to Community Impact. “I know they are trying to get a handle on that. A majority of the teachers and principals are excited to do that.”
The three proposals were drafted by the District Advisory Committee and Campus Calendar Committee with several priorities in mind.
First, they had to take into account the results of an informal survey conducted earlier from among 453 teachers and staff who responded. Respondents to that survey widely favored having breaks added in October and February, at the expense of lengthening school days by a few minutes.
Next, the three proposals had to satisfy the state-mandated requirements for 75,600 instructional minutes and 187 days of service for contracted teachers.
The three calendar options also had to take into account students taking part in dual credit courses with the district’s partner Tarrant County College. The institution of higher education holds its spring break during the third full week of March.
All three proposals begin the school term on August 13, 2024, and end on May 22, 2025. They also have a spring break period mirroring that of Tarrant County College.
Option 1 is closest to the current academic calendar, with 86 days in the first semester and 87 in the second semester. Thanksgiving break runs from November 25 to 29, fall break takes place from October 11 to 15, and winter break goes from December 19, 2024, to January 8, 2025.
Option 2 adds five minutes to each school day in order to extend fall break and spring break each by one day. Winter break gets shortened, running from December 23, 2024, to January 8, 2025. Thanksgiving break would be the same. According to this option, there would be 86 days in the first semester and 88 in the second semester.
Option 3 sees 10 additional minutes being added per school day to allow for two new teacher work days. Fall break runs from October 14 to 18, while winter break goes from December 23, 2024, to January 7, 2025. Thanksgiving break would be the same. According to this option, there would be 83 days in the first semester and 87 in the second semester.
As previously covered in The Dallas Express, both Lewisville and Plano ISDs have asked for input from their respective stakeholders to help choose between prospective academic calendar options for the upcoming term. The new calendars will be approved before the end of the year.
