Randy Johnson, superintendent for Forsan Independent School District, said the calendar will be very similar to the current schedule.

“There will not be any significant changes,” Johnson said. “About the most significant difference will be that we'll have an early dismissal day the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. In previous years, students and staff had that day off.”

Johnson said school officials had very little flexibility in designing the calendar.

“It's a problem coming up with a calendar every year because the state has come up with such strict guidelines,” he said.

Those guidelines state that districts can start the 180-day school year no earlier than the fourth Monday in August. To end the first semester by the Christmas break and conclude the school year by June 1, FISD has been forced to adopt a staggered semester schedule — the first semester will have 81 days of instruction, while the second semester will have 96 days. In addition, there will be three days of teacher in-service.

“Calendars are not set haphazardly,” Johnson said. “A lot of background and committee work goes into setting them ... We try to be as sensitive as we can to community needs as well as meeting our educational goals.”

Johnson said FISD also tries to coordinate its school year with schedules of other Howard County school districts, including Howard College.

“We've really enjoyed a good relationship with Big Spring, Coahoma and Howard College in the process of creating these calendars,” he said. “We try our best to work with those districts (to have similar schedules).”

In other business Monday, trustees will consider:

• Officially setting May 9 as the date for the trustee election. At-large seats currently held by Lewis Boeker and Misty Rhoten will be contested this year. Both Boeker and Rhoten have filed for re-election, Johnson said.

• Raising the cost of adult breakfasts in the school cafeteria to $1.75, an increase of 25 cents.

• Waivers for early release and staff development days.

• Energy management proposals.

• Contracts for campus principals, assistant principals, counselors and the district technology administrator.

• A team building session concerning state and federal accountability standards.

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331 ext. 234 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it