Updated Monday, Dec. 10, at 6:28 p.m. Cy-Fair ISD's board of trustees approved the calendar committee's recommendation for the 2019-20 instructional calendar at the Dec. 10 meeting.
Originally posted Friday, Dec. 7, at 10:46 a.m. The Cy-Fair ISD board of trustees heard a report on the proposed instructional calendar for 2019-20 at a Dec. 6 work session. Linda Macias, associate superintendent of curriculum, instruction and accountability, said the district’s calendar committee developed a two-year plan when members convened to discuss the 2018-19 calendar, so the board will be able to vote on the calendar earlier than they typically do. The first day of classes—which follows two weeks of professional development days for teachers—would be Aug. 26, 2019. The academic year would end on May 29, 2020. Macias said state mandates require teachers to work 187 days each year, but because instructional time for students is measured in minutes rather than days, CFISD students only have 173 days of school. “We always get the question about, ‘Well, why are teachers having to go longer than the students?’” she said. “It’s not additional days teachers are having to work outside of their contract. It is their contract days.” Other calendar highlights include: Proposed student and staff holidays:
  • Sept. 2 (Labor Day)
  • Nov. 25-29 (Thanksgiving week)
  • Dec. 23-Jan. 2 (winter break)
  • Jan. 20 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
  • March 9-13 (spring break)
  • April 10 (Good Friday)
  • May 25 (Memorial Day)
Proposed professional development days:
  • Aug. 12-16, 19-23
  • Nov. 5
  • Jan. 3
  • Feb. 17 (inclement weather day)
  • May 29 (inclement weather day)
Macias said the fall professional development day, which is typically scheduled in October, was moved to Election Day, Nov. 5, 2019. Because several campuses serve as polling locations, officials said having people come in and out throughout the day can become a safety concern. “This is what we hope will become the tradition of it being Election Day, whatever day that falls on every year … for the safety and security of our students and staff,” Superintendent Mark Henry said. “As you might imagine, it can create quite a traffic situation also.” The board will vote on the calendar proposal at the regular board meeting, which takes place at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10, at the Instructional Support Center, 10300 Jones Road, Houston. Meetings are streamed live at www.cfisd.net.