Northwest ISD considers later start date for 2020-21 district calendar

Northwest ISD officials are seeking additional input on the 2020-21 school year calendar after district residents expressed concerns over an early start date.

In a district online poll that ended Jan. 13, there were 6,224 votes cast between calendar options A and B, officials said. Option B received the most votes with 3,356, but the district received a number of comments about a proposed start date of Aug. 13.

As a result, the district has proposed a third calendar option, option C, with a start date of Aug. 20 and an end date of May 28. The last day of school under option B would be May 21. District residents can access a second online poll and vote on options B and C at www.nisdtx.org/calendars.

“I think [residents] will really appreciate that third option,” board Vice President Anne Davis-Simpson said. “It really shows that we’re listening.”

According to NISD Director of Curriculum Stephanie Espinosa, the Texas Education Agency requires the district to provide 75,600 minutes of instruction during the school year, and school days must be at least 420 minutes.

Among top teacher requests for the 2020-21 calendar were at least one day off in the months of October and February, two weeks off at Christmas and a second semester end date before Memorial Day.

“It’s really hard within those 70,000 minutes to do all those things, but we do our best,” Espinosa said.