The parents and AISD staff members of the 2008-09 Calendar Task Force offer the following reflective questions and answers to provide the reasoning and values that were pivotal in the development of the academic calendar recommendations.

General Questions:

1. What is the process for creating the calendar? Who makes the final decision?
The process begins annually with a task force of parents and staff who consider an array of legal requirements and local values as they work to develop a calendar that most effectively meets the educational needs of the students.

After studying options and reviewing input from campuses and other stakeholders, the task force recommends a calendar draft to the Superintendent's Cabinet. The Superintendent makes a recommendation to the Board of Trustees, who vote to make the final decision.

(For more detail see "Requirements and Values Applicable to Calendar Development" below.)

2. Why is school starting so late in 2008-09?
The start date is mandated by the legislature. House Bill 1 states that school may not start for students before the fourth Monday in August.

3. Why does school end so late?
The late ending is a result of the following factors: school cannot begin in 2008 until August 25, the school year must include 187 days (175 instructional, 12 staff development/preparation), and the Task Force elected to leave traditional holidays in the calendar.

4. How are the bad weather make-up days chosen?
Bad weather make-up days must be days that district employees would not normally work; these make-up days should be scheduled late enough to prepare for the possibility of bad weather occurring late in the school year. Make-up days should be on holidays or at the end of the school year; if make up days are on weekends, the district will incur additional overtime expenses.

5. If staff development days were instructional days, could school end earlier?
No, because some of the staff development days are required by law, and others are allowable only in lieu of instructional days. A way to end school earlier might be to cut holidays.

6. Why not group all of the staff development days at the beginning and/or the end of the school year to shorten the year for students?
Staff development days are scheduled to derive the greatest possible benefit to student achievement. Campuses use these days to review student assessment data and to adjust instruction throughout the school year.

7. Why do we have Labor Day off after just one week of school?
Labor Day is a national holiday that is traditionally observed by many governmental agencies and educational institutions.

8. Why don't we have a holiday on Veteran's Day?
The Task Force elected to give a holiday to the students the day (Monday) before Veteran's Day in order to give families a three-day weekend. In addition, some school-related student groups (i.e.: band) may be involved in Veteran's Day observations and would need to come to school even if there were no classes.

9. Why does the first semester end at Winter Break?
The consensus of the Calendar Task Force is that for the secondary level, having finals before the Winter Break will allow students and employees to have a true break, free from concern about looming exams. This timing also facilitates the college application process for graduating seniors.

10. Why is the January staff development/preparation day on the 5th in Draft 1 and on the 16th in Draft 2?
These differing options for the January staff development/preparation day provide the choice of two three-day weekends or one four-day weekend in January. These two options also affect some split-custody families. With State Code for split custody requiring the exchange of children to be at noon on December 26, moving the January staff development/preparation day impacts the number of days that children spend with each parent during Winter Break: Draft 1 (with Jan. 5 staff development/preparation day)=7 ½ day and 10 ½ day division of children's days during Winter Break Draft 2 (with Jan. 16 staff development/preparation day)=7 ½ day and 9 ½ day division of children's days during Winter Beak

Requirements and Values Applicable to Calendar Development

Legal Requirements: The following elements are mandated by law...

• Instructional days may not begin prior to the fourth Monday in August.
• Required number of teacher days =187; required number of instructional (student) days =177.
• Exception: Texas Education Agency waiver days can add up to three days of staff development in lieu of three days of instruction.
• AISD has two waiver days, making total number of instructional (student) days required=175.
• School must be in session on the days that the Texas Education Agency schedules the TAKS tests.
• Calendar draft proposals must be submitted by the administration to the District Advisory Council and approved by the Board of Trustees.
• School must be in session on PEIMS (Public Education Information Maintenance System) snapshot day, which is the last Friday in October.

District Considerations: The following elements are linked to the District's procedures, programs, and educational values...

• Staff development/preparation days should be spaced strategically during the semesters to allow for data assessment and responsive professional development.
• Elementary parent conference days should be placed strategically to facilitate parent/teacher contact early in the semesters.
• When a change is made to one day on the calendar, it has a domino effect on the other portions of the calendar; this effect also occurs with the moving of staff development/preparation days and addition of holidays.
• Adding days to the calendar or scheduling bad weather make-up days on the weekend adds cost to the tax payers (over-time salaries for classified).
• If a holiday is deleted, classified employees will lose pay for that day unless an additional workday is added elsewhere in the year.
• The Superintendent, with the calendar development process, must be in compliance with AISD Board of Trustees, Executive Limitations 14.
• If an early release day is used, dismissal should occur after lunch to allow students to eat lunch.
• Consideration should be given to the University Interscholastic League calendar.
• Having school on January 2 has proven to result in a low attendance rate.

Traditional Observances and Values: The following elements, traditionally valued, are now in question because of the complexity of factors impacting calendar development...

• Holidays
  • Break aligned with the Spring Break of University of Texas
  • Wednesday before Thanksgiving
  • Martin Luther King Day
  • Labor Day
  • Two-week Winter Break
  • Friday in Spring
  • Memorial Day
• The first semester should end prior to Winter Break, giving staff and students a true break.
• The semesters should be balanced in length to provide an even number of days in each semester (important at secondary level); however, consideration can be given to the fact that a number of instructional days in the second semester are lost to TAKS testing.
• School should end before June to allow staff and students to take college courses in the summer.
• A staff preparation day is important on first day after Winter Break to allow teachers to prepare for their students and/or new classes.