However, since we cannot predict what the legislature or other state policymakers will do that might affect the school calendar, district staff is hesitant to try to plan a calendar that far in advance. We are also aware that many parents would prefer that school not start until after Labor Day. In the past year, administrators investigated availability of facilities to move graduation to a later date, but with the many high schools in the Dallas area, there were no facilities that could be booked that far in advance that could accommodate the graduates, the families, and any other guests they wished to bring. We cannot hold graduation at one of the stadiums, due to the unpredictability of weather. In any case, the school year must be planned so that classes end prior to the date for graduation.
State law requires that each school semester contain the same approximate number of days.
Many teachers prefer to have the semester finished prior to the holidays. When the semester is completed after returning from the winter break, a great deal of classtime must be devoted to review to prepare students for exams. By the same token, some of our new graduates make plans to pick up a few college hours in the summer prior to the fall semester. Typically college summer school begins in late May or early June, and are accelerated to a point that a week of classes equates to a month of regular semester work. If the school year were to extend into June, students planning to enroll in college classes could be seriously impacted.