Hillsborough County students will end their summer two weeks earlier next year.

They'll start school Aug. 10 and finish May 26, according to a calendar approved by the Hillsborough County School Board on Tuesday night.

School Board members unanimously approved a $2.8 billion budget, but not before airing a variety of frustrations. The Board will hold a workshop in two weeks.

The Hillsborough County teachers’ union says they have been pushing for this change for 15 years.  The early calendar allows semester tests to be given before the long holiday break instead of after.  That is a change that students like as well.

“When I go on break, I don’t want to have to study for finals,”  said Casey Walker, a student at Lennard High School in Ruskin.  “I just want to have fun and not have to have tests hanging over me.”

Parents we spoke with are glad the earlier calendar allows kids to be out of school on May 26. That is the Friday before Memorial Day.

“I think it is a great idea to have the kids out by Memorial Day,” said Aurora McBurney.  “We can plan vacation for kids the same time that we are off work.”

For more information, visit the school district's website.