By Trey Mewes, staff reporters

Sumner Elementary School students will see a little more sunshine in the classroom this fall.

The Austin Public School board unanimously approved a modified calendar for Sumner and up to four sections of Woodson Kindergarten Center Monday.

The modified calendar, also called a 45/15 schedule or year-round schedule, means Sumner would start school earlier than other district schools and end at the same time as everyone else.

District officials will send out inter-district enrollment letters this week to parents across Austin. The letters, due March 18, will give Sumner parents the chance to opt out of the modified calendar and district parents the chance to enroll their children in Sumner. Once enrollment numbers are finalized, Sumner will plan for an August start.

If there aren’t enough students enrolled in Sumner for this fall, district officials will have to go back to the board and decide whether to continue with the modified calendar. This is unlikely, as a majority of parents approve of the calendar switch, according to parent survey results gathered by Sumner staff.