The January Issue a Year in Pictures Spring ISD Superintendent Rodney Watson unveiled Every Child 2020—a five-year improvement plan for the district.[/caption]

Following the passage of House Bill 2610 in June, Spring ISD is seeking community input on two options for its 2016-17 academic calendar.

HB 2610 changes the amount of instruction time required in Texas school districts each school year to at least 75,600 minutes rather than the previous requirement of 180 days.

While the two calendars feature Aug. 22 as the first day of school, option A concludes school on June 1, 2017, compared to May 26, 2017 for option B. In addition, option A includes a day off on Presidents’ Day in February while option B offers an extra day off during winter break.

“Both of these options are very strong,” SISD Chief Academic Officer Lupita Hinojosa said. “We did a good job of making sure we had professional development days [in both of these options]. The biggest difference between the two is [option B] ends before Memorial Day and is pretty compacted.”

Parents and community members are invited to review and take a survey about the two options at www.springisd.org/calsurvey. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 3.

“It’s extremely important to get feedback because, in reality, Spring ISD is part of the larger community that we serve,” she said. “Many high school students participate in internships and jobs, so we want the business community to take a look as well.”

HB 2610 was passed on the heels of Texas ice storms in 2014 that caused many districts to unexpectedly cancel school days. To make up those days, some districts were forced to hold classes during the Memorial Day and Good Friday holidays, Hinojosa said.

The new law gives districts more flexibility to add instruction minutes as necessary if time is lost due to inclement weather incidents, she said.