Four-Day Summer School Schedule Could Save HISD $1 Million

April 28, 2011 – On a 5-0 vote, the HISD Board of Education today approved a four-day-week for summer school. The summer session will operate on a Monday through Thursday schedule. Extra time has been added to the school day to make up for Friday, so that no classroom time is lost.

Analysts predict that gasoline prices could rise to near $5 per gallon in the summer, so minimizing school bus operations could produce significant savings. The move to a four-day week is expected to save the district approximately $1 million in bus transportation and utility costs.

            For students who need summer school to be promoted to the next grade, the summer session will last for 15 days at 5.5 hours a day. Limited English Proficient (LEP) students will attend summer classes for 18 days at 6.75 hours a day.

            On May 12 the board is expected to vote on a measure to clear the way for the entire district to move to a four-day work week over the summer, excluding police, construction workers and some food service workers. The summer meal program will be operated on the usual five-day schedule at selected campuses.

The Houston Independent School District is the largest school district in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States with 298 schools and more than 200,000 students. The 301-square-mile district is one of the largest employers in the Houston metropolitan area with nearly 30,000 employees.