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So much for that proposal to stretch some Dallas Independent School District students’ calendars till July 26. Still: District parents have till Monday to vote on two calendar options, down from the five presented to trustees earlier this month, and on the surface, at least, both run longer than the current school-year schedule that rings its final bell on May 31 (unless there’s an inclement weather day) and features but 175 days of instruction.
Here you’ll find the two contenders as selected by “representatives of schools, community members and central staff employees.” And you’ll note: Both contain 182 instructional days (sort of) and slide into June (maybe); how far depends on when students start and how well they perform. One option has the kiddos back to school on August 27, and cue the Alice Cooper on June 13. Behind Door No. 2 is the post-Labor Day start with a June 20 wrap-up. And unlike this year, when students got a full week off for Thanksgiving and look forward to two full weeks vacation in December, they’ll only take three days in November and 10 for Christmas and the New Year.
But — and this is a big but — those June instructional days aren’t a given. We touched on this at the beginning of the month, but I’ll let the district explain its intentions concerning the extended schedule:
Both calendars also call for the school district to apply to the Texas Education Agency to participate in TEA’s Optional Flexible Year Plan for next school year. If approved, the plan would permit the district to offer some secondary students an incentive to attend classes ten fewer days than other students if they meet certain requirements in the areas of achievement, attendance and behavior. The ten days would permit schools to provide targeted, small group instruction to struggling students who need additional support.
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Last I looked, those requirements were “yet to be determined.” So. Vote now. The board hopes to do likewise on January 26.
