HB 5193 Summary

• Requires intermediate school districts to adopt a common school calendar in cooperation with constituent districts, identifying winter and spring break dates for at least the next 5 school years and posting the calendar on its website.

• Mandates that school district and intermediate school board calendars comply with the adopted common school calendar beginning with the 2008-2009 school year, with exceptions for year-round schools, international baccalaureate academies, and schools operating on trimester schedules.

• Allows schools to apply for waivers from common calendar requirements if they meet specific criteria, including operating on the same calendar as a higher education institution, maintaining a summer break of 8 weeks or less for the first 2 years and 6 weeks or less thereafter, or adopting extended calendar models such as 45/15, 60/20, 60/15, or 90/30 schedules.

• Requires schools seeking calendar waivers to hold at least one public hearing and specifies that the superintendent of public instruction shall grant waivers for schools meeting defined bona fide year-round or trimester schedule standards.

• Establishes that school years cannot begin before Labor Day (the first Monday in September), with exceptions for schools operating year-round programs or meeting specific reform and achievement criteria.