El Campo ISD board hears two calendar options; trustees lean toward current calendar, will solicit teacher input
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Summary
Trustees reviewed two proposed 2025–26 calendars — a calendar that mirrors the current year and an alternative with extended one-week breaks — and directed staff to solicit teacher feedback before a Feb. 5 decision; several trustees said they favored the current calendar.
El Campo ISD trustees reviewed two proposed academic calendars for 2025–26 during the Jan. 20 meeting and discussed timing for a board vote and additional faculty input.
The first option (referred to as calendar 1) closely mirrors the current school year and incorporates professional-development considerations staff said were developed with teacher input. The alternative (labeled calendar 3C1) spreads the school year into additional one-week breaks — including a week in October, one in November, two weeks in December–January, a week in February and a week in March — and would end the school year the Friday after Memorial Day.
Why it matters: The calendars affect instruction days, teacher planning time, community childcare needs and athletic schedules. The administrative team said calendar 3C1 offers longer periodic breaks that some teachers and districts find helpful for planning and rest, while calendar 1 was built from direct staff survey responses and includes built-in professional development.
Discussion highlights: Trustees questioned academic and extracurricular impacts of extended breaks. One trustee said, "I don't see us doing the second one," while another urged sending the calendar to faculty for input so staff could decide. Staff said calendar 1 was developed from a staff survey and that calendar 3C1 was modeled on schedules used by some Houston-area districts. Administrators noted the calendars include added minutes to cover missed days and that staff would present a resolution on how to handle recent missed instructional days at a future meeting.
Next steps: Staff asked whether the board would be ready to vote on a calendar at the district's next meeting; trustees and administrators agreed to circulate calendar options to faculty and consider the item at the Feb. 5 special called meeting. Several trustees signaled preference for calendar 1 but requested teacher feedback before a final vote.
Ending: The board did not adopt a calendar Jan. 20 and asked staff to gather faculty input and return the item for decision at a future meeting.
