The Bay City ISD board approved a late amendment to the districts 2024–25 calendar to add one compensatory day and discussed several models for the 2025–26 calendar before tabling a final decision to gather input from campus principals.

District staff told trustees the 2024–25 change simply adds one comp day in quarter four to give employees an additional option for time off. Staff also presented three models for 2025–26 that include two additional compensatory days, an earlier start (moving the first day one school day earlier) and an added Christmas holiday on a proposed date to allow campus-level scheduling flexibility.

Officials said the 2025–26 options were developed by central staff working with campus leadership to preserve the required 187‑day teacher contract while shifting which days teachers and students are on campus. "It's still 187; it's just what that 187 looks like," a staff member said, describing how comp days would be earned and scheduled with principal approval.

Trustees discussed but did not approve a move to a four‑day instructional week for 2025–26, citing implementation timing and curriculum constraints. Staff warned that district rollout of a curriculum implementation (referred to in the meeting as HQIM and a related grant) leaves little flexibility in minutes and days required by the grant and the districts teaching plans. One board member said testing and curriculum timelines make a four‑day week infeasible for the upcoming year and asked that a formal review and community polling be scheduled in the fall to analyze the option further.

Trustees agreed to table final action on the 2025–26 calendar and asked campus principals to provide feedback; the board set a plan to revisit the item at the May meeting so administrators could present options and data. Staff cautioned that calendar changes will affect UIL eligibility dates, grading periods in Skyward and other scheduling systems, and encouraged a timely decision to allow technical updates.

The district emphasized that compensatory time must be approved by campus principals, can include weekend or after‑hours professional development when tied to campus improvement goals, and cannot be counted when it occurs during the employees regular paid workday. Staff repeated that long‑range changes (such as a four‑day week) would require additional study of teacher contracts, funding, instructional minutes required by grants and state rules.

Board members asked that staff circulate calendar options and a timeline for campus feedback before the next board discussion so principals and site teams can provide recommendations.

The board had a separate, earlier motion to amend the 2024–25 calendar that was seconded and approved by voice vote.