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Later school start calendar proves popular
Almost all Texas districts to comply with new law, but nearly 1 in 5 schoolchildren still reporting to class early

A new state law requiring school to begin the week of August 21 or later is an overwhelming success, with the vast majority of Texas’ 1,040 school districts planning to begin their instructional calendar around that date for the 2002-03 school year.

Less than 10 percent of districts received exemptions and will start before Monday, August 19. 

However, those 78 school systems represent 19 percent of Texas’ student population, meaning nearly one in five schoolchildren will be in class prior to August 19. Additionally, some districts asked for and received waivers even though more parents were opposed to the change than were in favor of it -- a clear violation of the spirit of the law.

Senate Bill 108, which takes effect this year, enjoyed great support in the Texas Legislature when lawmakers passed it in 2001. In the 1990s, school districts set their own calendars, and the majority started class before August 21. 

But these early dates created headaches, heartaches and hardships for families, teachers and students. Families found they had less time for important summer vacations. Students lost crucial weeks in their summer jobs to save for college or earn extra cash. Teachers had greatly limited summer opportunities to take college courses to earn advanced degrees and certifications. 

In 2000, state Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander reported that the shortened summer cost Texas $332 million in tourism revenue the previous year. Migrant farm workers lost an additional $27 million in earnings, and cash-strapped school districts spent as much as $10 million in higher cooling costs. 

Parents voiced their concerns to local school leaders, but in most cases they were ignored. The Legislature heard repeatedly from unhappy parents about the cold shoulder they got from school boards and administrators on the calendar issue. 
Lawmakers agreed with parents that they should have a say in when their children started school. They drafted creative language in Senate Bill 108 to emphasize the importance of parental input in the calendar process. If a school district can show it has parental support for an earlier start date, the Texas Education Agency may grant a waiver to the August 21 requirement.

As an organization, Texans for a Traditional School Year is very concerned that the state is granting waivers without getting an accurate reading of public support. In some cases, school districts held mandated public hearings on the issue at inconvenient times, with little publicity, and heard from a handful of speakers.

For example:

Plano ISD wanted a waiver to start school early this school year. The Dallas Morning News reported that the majority of people in Plano who expressed an opinion regarding the school calendar were opposed to it, but the school board voted 7-0 in support of the waiver and TEA granted it.

Beaumont ISD held their public hearing on an early school start date on an evening they were playing host to sixth-grade orientation. Parents should not have to choose between attending an event with their child and attending a public hearing. If schedules are too busy to choose a public hearing date that doesn’t conflict with other district events, school officials should voluntarily have more than one public hearing – ensuring all parents have a chance to express their thoughts.

Lewisville ISD failed to place an advertisement in the newspaper announcing the public hearing, as clearly stated in the law, but willingly told local news media about their intentions. Other districts previously had been told that news stories were not what the law required, and were instructed to resubmit their waiver requests after running an ad and holding a new hearing. Lewisville ISD was granted a waiver from the advertisement requirement and was then granted a school calendar waiver. 

“While we are incredibly pleased that the Legislature listened to the people of Texas and gave us a sensible start to the school year, we are worried that a handful of school districts are trying to circumvent the law,” said Tina Bruno, Texans for a Traditional School Year’s executive director. “Apparently, these school boards and administrators need a lesson in civics. Democracy is best served by following the will of the people.”

There are other questions that have been raised in the process of enacting the new law that parents would like lawmakers to address. Texans for a Traditional School Year plans to take these issues to the Capitol when the Legislature reconvenes in January. 

Here are some interesting facts about the waiver districts: 

• The Keller ISD is starting the earliest -- August 5.
• Only 1 district was denied its waiver request, the United ISD near Laredo.
• All but two of the districts that received waivers wanted to start the week of August 12.
• The most popular early school start date is August 12, with August 15 coming in a close second.
• One Edison Charter School received a wavier because it requires 220 days of student instruction, 40 more than other Texas schools.