Students in Billings Public Schools will have an extra long summer this year, with big changes to the calendar about to take effect. The district's board of trustees voted to bump back the start of the school year in December.

Starting next school year, James will have to make some adjustments, as the 2024 school year will start after Labor Day and end on June 13.

New district superintendent Erwin Garcia said the change is overdue, citing a lack of air conditioning in two high schools as one of the primary motivations for the change.

“Just attending school in the summertime, I noticed classrooms can be 90 degrees, 95 degrees, almost 100 degrees,” Garcia said.

KTVQ: Billings Public School District an "outlier" after school calendar change