Carteret County board debates school-calendar alignment with colleges, tables decision

Carteret County Board of Education members spent most of the January meeting debating whether to change the district school calendar to better align with local community college and university schedules and then voted to delay a final decision pending public input.

Board member Chris McKay told the board a parent had called after a college deferred a student and said first-semester grades must be posted by Jan. 10, while Carteret County exams begin Jan. 13. “It is hurting our students,” McKay said, arguing that calendar mismatch can block students from attending college or starting jobs. He urged exploring alternatives including a year-round calendar.

The discussion centered on the potential student and family impacts and on legal flexibility. Attorney Whitford summarized a 2021 Wake County Superior Court order in the long-running Leandro litigation, saying the judge “determined that calendar flexibility was a part of a sound constitutional basic education in North Carolina” and that the court ordered the state to provide policies to permit alignment of high school calendars with postsecondary schedules. Whitford said the state has not implemented that part of the order and that the matter of calendar flexibility remains tied up in broader litigation and separation-of-powers questions before the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Board members cited local effects if the district does not align calendars. McKay and others noted roughly 1,000 Carteret County high school students are dually enrolled at the community college; the board heard an estimate — presented at the meeting — that aligning calendars could save families about $1 million in tuition and another $1 million in room and board annually, a figure described by participants as conservative. Board members also discussed year-round calendars; Whitford noted a year-round school is not subject to the statutory calendar requirements. One board member asked staff to gather statutes that govern year-round schedules and return with details.

After extended discussion the board voted to table the calendar question until the next regular meeting and to solicit feedback from families, teachers and other community stakeholders, including an online feedback form. The motion to table passed by voice/hand vote.

The board did not adopt a new calendar at the January meeting. Staff and trustees said they will return to the issue in February with community input and statutory parameters for any change.

Ending

The board scheduled the next regular meeting for Feb. 4, 2025; officials said that meeting will include public comment specifically on the 2025–26 budget and that the district will solicit input on calendar preferences before the board revisits the calendar question.