Davie County calendar committee offers two traditional options, will send staff vote
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Summary
The district's calendar committee presented two traditional school-year options after rejecting an early-start plan tied to Senate Bill 754; staff will vote in December and the board will take final action in January.
The Davie County Board of Education heard a detailed calendar presentation from committee chair Jenda Haines and agreed to send two calendar options to staff for a December vote, with the school board to approve the winning option at its January meeting.
Haines said the 34-member committee initially evaluated two early-start calendars aligned with proposed Senate Bill 754 (the so-called "Burger Bill") but removed those options after finding they would compress high-school exams into the holiday period or force students to return and take exams without review. "So we took Senate Bill 754 off the table and we went back to current legislation," Haines said during the presentation.
Under the two traditional options presented under current law, Option 1 would start Wednesday, Aug. 26, preserve 180 student days with balanced semesters and projects a last student day of June 10 (with a projected graduation of June 12). Option 2 would use the earliest current-law Monday start, total 177 student days and project a last student day of June 3 (with a projected graduation of June 5); it yields roughly 1,040 instructional hours versus about 1,051 under Option 1.
Haines told the board the committee's internal survey of its 34 members produced 26 votes for Option 2, seven for Option 1 and one for an early calendar if legal and penalty-free. "We still have a good bit of support for an early start if it is legal and if it can be justified to students," she said, but emphasized the committee prioritized stability and minimizing burdens on families.
Board members asked about equity between semesters, teacher work days and the district's ability to waive inclement-weather days. Haines said Option 1 provides more cushion for weather (about 1,051 hours) while Option 2 provides a narrower buffer (about 1,040 hours) and would require closer monitoring of early releases or late starts.
The board agreed not to take an immediate straw vote and authorized staff to survey district employees; Haines will return one recommended calendar for board approval in January based on staff votes. "Typically, we would survey the staff December and then January I would bring you either Option 1 or Option 2, whichever had the most votes," she said.
What happens next: staff will receive the two calendar options for a December vote; the board will consider the staff-selected option at its January meeting for final approval.
