Robeson County board adopts K–8 2025–26 calendar, directs administration to craft high‑school calendar that allows exams before Christmas

The Public Schools of Robeson County Board of Education on March 17 adopted a 2025–26 K–8 school calendar and unanimously directed the superintendent and calendar committee to produce a high‑school calendar that complies with state law and schedules end‑of‑semester exams before the Christmas break.

The board’s action followed a lengthy discussion about two competing calendars: one proposed by the district’s calendar committee and a modified calendar based on Cumberland County’s schedule that would put high‑school exams in December but — as presented — reduce first‑semester instructional days by 11. Bobby Lockley, who presented the item, summarized the legal requirements the district must meet: “we must start the Monday closest to August 26…dismiss students no later than the Friday closest to June 11…We must cover at least 9 calendar months, and we must have a hundred and 85 days or a thousand and 25 hours.”

Why it matters: board members and staff said the difference between calendars affects instructional time, employee pay and scheduling for transportation and athletics. Several board members raised that bus drivers and cafeteria workers could be paid for 11 fewer days under the Cumberland‑style calendar as presented and that scheduling exams before Christmas would require canceling athletics and after‑school activities during testing windows.

Board debate and votes

Board members repeatedly addressed an 11‑day difference between the calendars. Dr. Nunez, responding to earlier comments about calendar “fairness,” said the concern is instructional hours: “the students have the opportunity. We need to give them the maximum amount of hours for teaching and learning so they can learn these standards…that’s why it’s student oriented.” Other members noted operational impacts: one member said adding 53 minutes to each school day to recover lost instructional minutes would “totally change transportation” and affect hourly classified staff.

A substitute motion by Melissa Ocean to “accept the calendar as presented by the cabinet” failed on a 5–5 tie. After additional discussion the board voted to move forward with the concept of scheduling exams before the Christmas break and then asked the administration and calendar committee to return a recommended high‑school calendar that meets state requirements; that motion passed unanimously. The board then voted unanimously to adopt the K–8 calendar presented by central office for the 2025–26 school year.

Legal and operational context

A board member read North Carolina General Statute 115C‑84.2 during the discussion. The statute was cited for the provision that “days may be scheduled and planned for different purposes for different personnel, and there is no requirement to schedule the same dates for all personnel,” a clause board members invoked when discussing the possibility of different calendars for K–8 and high schools in the same district.

Board members and staff also discussed constraints on remote instruction. Central office staff reminded the board that the district’s remote‑learning plan allows the district to count only five remote days in a school year for makeup, and that counting additional remote days would exceed that plan.

What the board directed next

- Administration and the calendar committee were tasked to draft and return a high‑school calendar that: (a) schedules end‑of‑semester exams before the Christmas break, and (b) complies with North Carolina school calendar law. The board requested the recommendation at a future meeting. - The K–8 calendar presented by the cabinet was adopted for 2025–26 by unanimous vote.

Board members asked the administration to consider operational items when returning the high‑school proposal, including transportation, special‑education (EC) routing, athletic scheduling during exam windows, summer‑school dates and potential effects on federal grants.

Ending

Board members emphasized that additional work by central office and the calendar committee is needed to finalize a high‑school calendar that meets state requirements and avoids unintended impacts on employees and student services. The board will consider the recommended high‑school calendar at a later meeting once administration returns with a proposal.