LIBERTY HILL, Texas - Liberty Hill ISD is planning to return to a five-day week next school year.
RELATED COVERAGE: Liberty Hill ISD plans for 4-day school week as it grapples with budget deficit
What we know:
LHISD's board of trustees approved the new academic calendar for the 2026-27 school year during its March meeting Tuesday night.
The district says several factors affected the decision, including TEA requirements and staff development opportunities that are more likely to be approved for districts with five-day weeks.
The new calendar was developed over a five-month period using input from people across the district and survey feedback.
Important dates on Liberty Hill ISD's 2026-27 calendar
- First day of school: Aug, 12
- Early release days: Oct. 2, Nov. 20, Dec. 17, March 12, May 27
- Thanksgiving break: Nov. 23-27
- Winter break: Dec. 18-Jan. 4 for staff, Dec. 18-Jan. 5 for students
- Spring Break: March 15-19
- Class of 2027 graduation: May 28
The backstory:
The board unanimously approved the four-day week for the current school year last February.
With the current academic calendar, students follow a traditional five-day week for certain parts of the school year — like the start of the school year, the final few weeks of December, and during STARR testing in April — but just about everything in between is a four-day week.
Teachers have Fridays to catch up on work and the district added 10 extra minutes to each school day to make sure students meet state requirements for time in a classroom.
The four-day week was approved in an effort to deal with a $7.5 million budget deficit by saving money on substitute teachers and transportation.
The Source: Information in this report comes from Liberty Hill ISD and previous reporting by FOX 7 Austin.