Summer ended early for thousands of Dallas ISD students. Twenty schools opened on the morning of July 28, two weeks ahead of the rest of the district.
Thirteen elementary schools and seven middle schools are on the calendar, which the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees approved earlier this year. Elementary students and sixth graders get 10 additional days over the summer and five Saturday school sessions during the year.
The added days go to reading and math, with time set aside for clubs and activities. Students get meals on those days the same as any other school day. The Saturday sessions are built around themes: gaming, superheroes, under the sea, and a sports spectacular.
What parents said
At John Quincy Adams Elementary, families were mostly positive about the earlier start, though it took some adjusting.
"When I first told them, they were not happy about it... they already knew Saturday school," said Ashley Galvan, a Dallas ISD parent. "This school offers sometimes Saturday school... if you think about it and analyze it, it's better for them... better for us."
One fifth grader was more direct about the appeal. "I feel pretty happy to go to school because I could see my friends right now and I'm going to be able to learn more," the student said.
The state pays for the extra days
Districts do not add school days for free, and in Texas they don't have to. House Bill 3, passed by the Legislature in 2019, created half-day formula funding for districts that add instructional days at their elementary schools, up to 30 days. Districts qualify once they hit the standard 180 days.
The Texas Education Agency says the money is meant to address summer learning loss, and points to research showing the drop is steepest for students from low-income families. Districts can use the funding for optional summer programming, an intersessional calendar with extra days spread through the year, or a full redesign of the calendar. Dallas ISD's version looks like a mix of the first two.
While districts in other states have been trimming to four-day weeks to save money and recruit teachers, Texas is paying its districts to go the other way at the elementary level. Both are responses to real pressures, and they point at opposite calendars.
Everyone else goes back in two weeks
The remaining Dallas ISD schools return to class two weeks from Tuesday on the regular calendar.
Sources
FOX 4: Dallas ISD welcomes back students at 20 campuses
Texas Education Agency: Additional Days School Year
