Burnet CISD pushes back start date
Burnet Consolidated Independent School District officials have pushed back the first day of class to Thursday, August 20.
The BCISD board of trustees endorsed the change during a special meeting July 20.
This is the second change to the school calendar in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this summer, the district adjusted the 2020-21 calendar to start August 17 and end May 28 so it could bank instructional time in case the state or local authorities closed schools due to the pandemic. Initially, BCISD classes began August 19 and ended May 27.
When the district adjusted the calendar the first time, officials also added 15 minutes to each day. Under Texas law, public school students must be in class for about 75,600 minutes a school year.
BCISD Superintendent Keith McBurnett said this most recent change comes after the Texas Education Agency issued more information and direction to public schools for restarting classes this fall.
“I have never in my 26 years in education ever seen a school district change its calendar this close to the first day of school,” he said. “We decided, given all the changes happening, that our teachers need more time to prepare the classroom and further develop lessons to accommodate students in their classes who will be both in person and remote learning students.”
The board will officially approve the change during its July 27 meeting. The district did not make any other modifications to the 2020-21 calendar.