CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Kingsville ISD will be starting their school year tomorrow, July 31, but their school year will be looking a little different from other districts around the Coastal Bend.
"We're excited about it. I think parents are excited, students are excited. It's only going to be as effective as the work that we put into it and how we make that Friday work for us and the students. You know, it's going to be a good experience for all of us," Kingsville ISD Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Juan Sandoval said.
Dr. Sandoval spoke with 3NEWS and said with this year's four-day school week going into effect, some changes will need to be made to accommodate half day Fridays that the district is calling innovation station days.
"Teachers are going to have the autonomy to make and use that time to support and serve our kids. Our core area teachers will be providing some kind of interventions that need that extra help, but they'll also be able to do that fun stuff as part of the calendar," he said.
Support from community organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of Kingsville will help in giving some students somewhere to go when they have their Fridays off.
Director of Operations, Jill Seals explained that with the district's new school week, enrollment numbers are up from last year.
"We're excited about the change. We're excited to be able to help the community. Initially we knew that we need to start doing some planning, get some staffing in place, and work on a few of the logistics," she said. "We're excited and ready to see what it brings."
Seals said that while the district does usually bus kids to the club during the regular school week, on the Fridays that the district is completely closed, parents or guardians will have to bring their students to the club.
The club currently has around 20 staff members to guide and mentor the kids that come through their doors, but that number could change.
"We're kind of planning for the first two weeks and we'll kind of reevaluate and see if we need to bring on some more staff or see how we can restructure. We will just have to jump in and see," Seals said.
While this change is one that parents, students, and teachers will have to get used to, Sandoval is hoping that these innovation station days put the fun back in learning for the district's students.
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