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After months of speculation over potential changes to Houston ISD’s academic calendar, district officials are considering four options for 2024-25 that would each move up the first day of classes and increase the number of days that students spend in school.
The proposals all include 180 class days, compared to 172 this year, and lay out three potential start dates: Aug. 7, 12 or 14.
HISD Deputy Chief of Staff Kari Feinberg sent the proposals to a district committee Thursday in an email obtained by the Abdelraoufsinno. Feinberg said the final calendar could be one of the four proposed options or a new version based on staff feedback. HISD officials have said they plan to present a final calendar choice Feb. 8 to the district’s board of managers, which must approve the schedule.
District leaders have said they plan to ask families to provide their opinions about starting the school year earlier as soon as next week. HISD’s superintendent and board of managers were appointed by Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath in June as part of state sanctions against the district.
In the email, Feinberg explained that the calendar changes are meant to boost student learning by increasing the number of class days. The proposals also aim to balance the number of days in the first and second semester and budget at least a week of extra instruction before standardized exams in the spring.
“In designing the HISD 24-25 yearly calendar, we aim to improve academic proficiency for all students,” she wrote.
In mid-December, HISD officials said community members could expect the 2024-25 school year to start during the first or second week of August and run 180 days, but they did not release day-by-day calendars.
The changes follow the board’s December vote granting final approval to HISD’s “District of Innovation” plan, which ended a controversial, months-long process. The innovation plan exempts HISD from seven state laws, including a rule that classes begin the fourth Monday in August. Nearly all of Texas’ largest districts have a District of Innovation plan and begin classes in early or mid-August.
HISD families have wondered about the calendar since September, when HISD initiated the District of Innovation process and Superintendent Mike Miles said he wanted to lengthen the upcoming school year.
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Many families have taken to Facebook, asking in groups whether anyone knew the year’s start and end dates. One user raised questions about the start date in a Facebook group Sunday, writing that their family had "already booked a trip thinking the dates would be similar to this year."
The four versions of the academic calendar under consideration increase the number of workdays for staff by between eight and 11 days.
This year, teachers are scheduled to work 187 days, including 15 for training. Next year, the four versions of the calendar propose 195 or 196 total work days for returning staff, including 15 to 16 training days. The calendars specify an additional two days of training for staff who are new to the district.
Miles has said staff will be compensated competitively for the extra time. Miles has not specified what the wages will be, but he said in mid-December he expects HISD’s teacher salaries will be the highest in the region.
“We will raise teacher salaries. I don't want to give you an amount right now, because we're still adjusting that,” Miles said at the time.
HISD is soliciting feedback on the four versions of next year’s calendar from teachers, administrators and other community members. Feinberg’s Thursday email included a survey for members of the district’s advisory committee — made up of parents, staff and other community members — to fill out by Wednesday.
Bradley Wray, a physical education teacher at Deady Middle School on HISD’s southeast side and a member of the District Advisory Committee, said he thinks the number of training days in the draft calendars is too much for experienced staff. Additionally, he said he has unanswered questions about the compensation packages Miles has mentioned.
“Will the big salaries be for everyone, including elective teachers and other non-STAAR tested teachers? Will support staff see adequate pay increases?” he said. The STAAR exams are Texas’ primary standardized test taken by most students.
HISD officials said the staff compensation manual for next year will be published “in the coming weeks.”
Asher Lehrer-Small covers education for the Landing and would love to hear your tips, questions and story ideas about Houston ISD. Reach him at [email protected].
Correction, Jan. 16: An earlier version of this story contained incorrect information about Houston ISD's plans to solicit community feedback on the calendar proposals. District officials have said they will begin that process as soon as next week.
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