Davidson County Board adopts condensed 2025-26 calendar C‑1, aligns early‑college schedules

The Davidson County Board of Education voted at its meeting to adopt the condensed 2025–26 traditional calendar labeled C‑1, which schedules high school final exams before the winter break and shifts additional instructional days into the spring semester.

The board’s action also approved revisions to the Davidson Early College and Yadkin Valley calendars so those programs would mirror the C‑1 schedule, a change staff said would allow students taking community college and Career and College Promise (CCP) courses to begin on the same schedule as Davidson County Schools.

The district presentation described three draft options: the traditional draft A and two condensed options, draft C‑1 and draft C‑2. Staff said draft C‑1 begins the student year on Aug. 25, provides roughly 1,045.8 instructional hours (above the 1,025‑hour minimum referenced under current calendar requirements), places high school exams Dec. 16–19, and creates a longer spring semester with 75 instructional days from Jan. 6 to May 1. Draft C‑2 is similar but removes two early‑release days and increases instructional hours to about 1,051.8.

Dr. Coley, the staff presenter, said the C‑1 calendar "allows for consistent instruction prior to exams for high school students on both semesters" and noted the increased spring days give more time for AP and CTE instruction. She also warned that condensed fall semesters would require curriculum pacing changes and more manual scheduling at high schools: "Pacing guides for all content areas will need to be adjusted to ensure that all standards are covered with less student days."

Board members raised several concerns about the condensed fall. One board member warned that shortening the fall to about 75 student days "could be a safety issue" in hands‑on CTE classes such as welding, and could make it harder for some students to meet course requirements. Another board member criticized the origin of the state calendar change, saying, "this is not what's best for kids. This is what the travel and tourism decided is best for kids," and urged continued advocacy for local calendar flexibility.

The board heard practical implementation notes from staff: changing the district calendar in PowerSchool requires submitting a support ticket to the Department of Public Instruction and can take up to about 10 days, during which schools' scheduling functions are effectively frozen. Staff also reminded the board of an April 30 deadline from the Department of Public Instruction to complete scheduling in PowerSchool, and said the district would request an extension from the state if necessary.

In a vote taken at the meeting, a board member moved to adopt draft C‑1; the motion was seconded and approved by the board. The board then moved and approved a separate motion to revise the Davidson Early College and Yadkin Valley 2025–26 calendars to mirror C‑1.

The board majority expressed support for C‑1 citing alignment with postsecondary schedules and moving exams before winter break, while also directing curriculum staff to work with teacher stakeholders to realign pacing and address CTE, AP and attendance implications. The board recorded no roll‑call vote counts in the meeting transcript; the approvals were completed by voice vote at the meeting.

Looking ahead, staff said curriculum teams will convene teacher stakeholders to adjust pacing guides if C‑1 is implemented, and that some professional development will still require substitutes even if early‑release days are scheduled. The board also noted broader state‑level discussions and said it will pursue collective efforts with other districts to seek greater local calendar flexibility.