Davie County Schools staff briefed the board on school-calendar legislation and survey results on Oct. 17 as the district resumes work to propose a 2026–27 calendar amid multiple pending state bills that could change allowable start and end dates.

Calendar coordinator Lehi Haines told the board that current law (cited as North Carolina General Statute 115C-84.2 in the presentation) sets a bookend window that prevents starting earlier than the Monday closest to Aug. 26 and ending later than the Friday closest to June 11, and requires 1,025 instructional hours. Haines outlined pending bills that would give districts greater flexibility — including some proposals to allow earlier starts or to align district calendars with community colleges — and noted that some proposed bills would impose penalties for noncompliance. Haines said the board paused earlier calendar work because of the legislative uncertainty and possible budget bill changes.

Staff reviewed survey results from parents and employees: roughly three-quarters of respondents favored an earlier start (around the week of Aug. 5) and finishing near Memorial Day with first-semester exams completed before Christmas; a smaller share preferred keeping the later August start. Haines cautioned the board that staff and community surveys did not ask follow-up questions about potential changes to the number of instructional days, the length of the school day, or childcare impacts if instructional days were reduced.

Haines said a calendar committee will meet Oct. 30 and Nov. 13 (with a possible Nov. 20 backup) and that the board will receive calendar options at its December meeting and consider final adoption in January. Board members Joe Caudle and Michael Hunter agreed to serve on the committee.