Santa Rosa School Board revises 2024–25 calendar after snow days; approves personnel, projects and other routine items

The Santa Rosa County School board on Feb. 4 voted unanimously to revise the 2024–25 academic calendar to recover five days of instruction lost to weather events and approved a series of administrative actions including a termination of employment, approvals for construction plans and surplus declarations.

The board adopted calendar changes intended to preserve graduations and spring break while making up instructional minutes for most students by converting two secondary early-release exam days into full instructional days and keeping the final day of the year as a half day. Assistant Superintendent Mr. Thorpe told the board the district must meet a state requirement of 300 minutes of instruction per day; secondary (grades 6–12) schedules provide 313 minutes and elementary schedules 324 minutes, and the revisions aim to “put a little bit of time in the bank” to meet the requirement.

Why it matters: Board members said seniors were the primary concern because schedule shifts and missed days threaten senior…