"The 2018-2019 instructional calendar is very similar to our current calendar," Shiela Shiver, the executive director of instructional leadership, said in a statement. "The most notable difference is that we had to add two student instructional days as well as reduce the number of early release days from four to two. This is the result of the transition from instructional days to instructional minutes and the Texas Education Agency's elimination of waivers for professional learning."
In previous years when the board allowed early release days for its students and teachers, staff members would file a waiver so the district would not have to make up for the instructional time lost. Beginning the 2018-2019 school year, however, these waivers will be unavailable due to state legislation.
Meanwhile, Texas requires GCISD to provide 75,600 instructional minutes to students each school year.
To meet the minimum instructional minutes required by state law, it was necessary to reduce the number of early release days, staffers said, as well as add the two student instruction days to the 2018-19 calendar.
Other highlights include:
- students will begin classes on Monday, Aug. 20;
- students will have a four-day weekend in October for Columbus Day weekend and staff members will have a three-day weekend;
- students and staff members will have a four-day weekend in April, dependent on the need to make up one or both inclement weather days; and
- students are released for the school year May 30 with graduation following that afternoon and evening.
The 2018-19 student instructional calendar can be found here, the 2018-2019 iUniversity Prep instructional calendar can be found here and the 2018-2019 staff instructional calendar can be found here.
