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El Paso ISD trustees adopt revised 2025-26 calendar, approve 2026-27 calendar after public feedback
Summary
The El Paso Independent School District board voted unanimously to adopt option B revisions to the 2025-26 academic calendar and to approve the 2026-27 academic calendar (option B), after the calendar committee recommended reductions in early-release days and community feedback favored option B.
El Paso Independent School District trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt recommended revisions to the 2025-26 academic calendar and to approve the 2026-27 academic calendar, both under the committee’s “Option B” proposals.
The calendars were approved as part of a motion recorded on the meeting floor: “I moved that the board approve the revisions to the 20 five-twenty 6 academic calendar by adopting option B and approve the 20 six-twenty 7 academic calendar option B in accordance with EB local consisting of teacher preparation days, teacher report for duty days, opening and closing of school dates, grading reporting period exam days, semester beginning and ending days, scheduled holidays, and scheduled staff development activity days only.” The motion was seconded, and the item passed unanimously, 6-0.
The change responds to committee findings and community feedback that half‑days were creating childcare hardships and reducing student attendance on those dates. Maribel Macias, chief of organizational transformation and equity, told trustees the calendar committee gathered attendance and professional-development data and solicited public comment from Jan. 16–30 before recommending Option B.
Option B for 2025-26 removes three early-release days (August 27, March 4 and May 6), moves an early-release day scheduled for Sept. 24 to Oct. 31 (so it falls on a celebration day), and converts Nov. 21 from an early release to a teacher workday. The district told trustees that the committee’s online feedback showed roughly 45% support for Calendar A and 55% for Calendar B; a subsequent IT quality review removing duplicate IP addresses returned the same split.
The presentation to the board noted legal and policy baselines: El Paso ISD maintains a 180‑day student calendar (the district said that translates to 75,600 instructional minutes, the TEA minimum per policy EB local), and a 187‑day teacher calendar. The district explained the 180‑day structure helps unlock state reimbursements for additional intersession programs and summer supports.
Trustees asked about alignment with neighboring districts. Macias said El Paso ISD aligned the 2026‑27 spring break with the University of Texas at El Paso and El Paso Community College after contacting those institutions; other district calendars (Ysleta, Socorro, etc.) were not finalized for 2026‑27 when the committee made its recommendation. Trustees asked staff to continue outreach to neighboring districts in future cycles to reduce scheduling conflicts for families and employees with children in different systems.
Motions and votes recorded during the consent and calendar items were taken on the record. Board members also pulled one consent item (6.J.4) for separate handling; that item ultimately passed 5-0 with one recusal. The calendar motion and the approvals reported here appeared on the board’s consent and action agenda and will be posted to the district calendar page.
The board adopted the changes after the district emphasized minimal disruption for families who had already planned travel and activities tied to previously posted dates.
The board made no additional amendments to the recommended Option B calendars at the meeting.
