Tomball ISD approves 2020-21, 2021-22 school calendars

The Tomball ISD board of trustees unanimously approved school calendars for the next two school years during a regular meeting Feb. 11. President Michael Pratt was absent from the meeting.

Students will begin classes for the upcoming 2020-21 school year Aug. 18, and the last day of school will be May 27, 2021, according to the approved calendar. While state law mandates districts must not begin classes earlier than the fourth Monday in August, Tomball's District of Innovation status allows the district to begin classes no earlier than the third Monday of August, according to information presented during the Feb. 10 workshop meeting.

Beginning in the 2020-21 school year, Election Day will be a holiday for TISD students. This means classes will not be held Nov. 3, 2020, and Nov. 2, 2021, according to the approved calendars.

"Even this year we had a lot of phone calls about why we were keeping schools open," Director of Administrative Services Karen Graves said during the Feb. 10 workshop. “It’s becoming more and more popular to get out and vote, which is great, but we want to keep our kids safe.”

As many campuses operate as polling places, district officials said the decision to not hold classes on Election Day came with students' safety in mind.

“Over the past few years, [Election Day has] become more and more of an issue," trustee John McStravick said during the meeting. "I don’t know that 10, 15, 20 years ago it was that big of an issue utilizing the schools, but in the past few years being there on Election Day, I definitely like the idea of keeping our kids separated from some of the stuff that goes on.”

For the 2021-22 school year, students will begin classes Aug. 17, 2021, and the last day of school will be May 26, 2022, according to the approved calendar.

View the approved calendars below.