AUSTIN, Texas — Many Texas schools are back in session, but one state representative is questioning whether the first day of school should be pushed back in the future because of the heat.

What You Need To Know

  • State Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, posted on X, calling the opening of schools before Labor Day “an awfully wasteful stress on our power grid”

  • Patterson, who is a director of energy services for an energy management company, proposed keeping schools completely closed through July and August to save public dollars on keeping the school facilities cool during the summer

  • While it is unclear whether he will propose this in the Texas House when they reconvene in January 2025, Patterson ended the tweet with the hashtag “bill ideas”

  • Some Texans agreed with Patterson in the comments section, but others questioned if the measure will truly save taxpayer dollars. One person pointed out that many high school athletics and extracurricular programs practice ahead of the start of the school year at the beginning of August, so the buildings will still need to be air conditioned

State Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, posted on X, formerly Twitter, calling the opening of schools before Labor Day “an awfully wasteful stress on our power grid.”

“Cooling thousands of buildings - often the largest buildings in a community - during the hottest months of the year makes no sense,” Patterson said. 

Patterson, who is a director of energy services for an energy management company, proposed keeping schools completely closed through July and August to save public dollars on keeping the school facilities cool during the summer. 

Over the last couple of weeks, Texas has seen record heat and the hottest days of the year, with highs well into the 100s. 

While it is unclear whether he will propose this in the Texas House when they reconvene in January 2025, Patterson ended the tweet with the hashtag “bill ideas.”

Some Texans agreed with Patterson in the comments section, but others questioned if the measure will truly save taxpayer dollars. One person pointed out that many high school athletics and extracurricular programs practice ahead of the start of the school year at the beginning of August, so the buildings will still need to be air conditioned. Others in the comments proposed fixing and improving the energy grid instead of closing schools during specific times. 

The Texas Legislature meets every two years for regular sessions, but the governor can call a special session at any time. In 2023, Gov. Greg Abbott called four special sessions.