Calendar committee recommends later start, board hears concerns about reduced days
Summary
The district's calendar committee recommended Option 1, a variable calendar that meets 1,062 instructional hours and reduces eight school days by adding 15 minutes to each day; some trustees expressed concern that the reduction could harm students who depend on school services, while committee representatives cited staff and community preference for the later start.
The Rockcastle County Board of Education reviewed a draft 2025–26 school calendar proposed by the calendar committee. The committee presented two options: Option 1 (a variable calendar meeting the statutory 1,062 instructional hours that reduces the number of calendar days by eight while preserving overall instructional hours via additional minutes) and Option 2 (a standard calendar that starts eight days earlier). The committee recommended Option 1.
Mister Redford summarized survey feedback and committee deliberations, noting that most staff and school-based respondents chose Option 1. He described the difference between the calendars as primarily a shift in days: "Option 1 has 8 less instruction days... the first day of school would be August 24," while Option 2 would start earlier.
Board member Miss Angie voiced concerns about the policy trade-off, saying she worried that "the 8 less days is not just about food" and that some children rely on school for meals and safety; she questioned whether an extra 15 minutes per day would adequately replace eight full days. Other trustees emphasized that district test scores have not shown adverse effects from the variable calendar and urged staff to make every instructional minute count.
The board took no final vote on the calendar at this meeting; trustees were told the recommendation is a draft and that the calendar will return for a formal vote in January after public feedback.
