April 25, 2016 5:41 PM

Tourism industry protests use of innovation districts to roll back school calendars

Pulling a week from the end of summer at some theme parks and other attractions is the equivalent of canceling two weeks of holiday sales in December for most retailers

The tourism industry was out in force Monday at a hearing on districts of innovation, trying to roll back the power for school districts to exempt themselves from the traditional school calendar.

Tourist attractions such as Schlitterbahn Water Park, and Natural Bridge Caverns couldn’t be blamed for thinking the school calendar issue was quashed last session with the defeat of a number of bills to move the school start date, most notably one by Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo. But it appears school districts that wanted that latitude have chosen a less direct solution: the districts of innovation bill approved last session.

The vast majority of school districts that have filed district of innovation plans for public review, in fact, have used the statute to shift the school start date closer to the beginning of August. Such a move balances the two semesters on either side of winter break and keeps the school district competitive with local charter schools.

By Kimberly Reeves