Board approves school improvement plans, first reading of 2026'27 calendar and 8 a.m.'3 p.m. school day
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Summary
Trustees approved school and district continuous improvement plans, heard an attendance report showing gains from last year, approved the first reading of the 2026'27 calendar and set district daily hours at 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; the board also set the first January meeting for Jan. 15.
The Rowan County Board of Education approved the comprehensive school improvement plans (CSIP) and the comprehensive district improvement plan (CDIP) and advanced several academic and scheduling items at its Dec. 16 meeting.
Brandy presented the CSIP/CDIP process and said the state is requiring a streamlined set of two goals this year: an achievement goal and a gap-closing goal for math and reading. School teams developed 3-to-5-year targets and yearly benchmarks; the board moved and approved the plans.
Ms. Deneen reported an improved attendance picture: month 4 average daily attendance was 94% (the district goal is 95%), up about 2.5 percentage points from the same month last year and roughly 60 more students. She described the tiered absence intervention system (tier 2: 10'19% absences; tier 3: 20%+) and said staff will send exit letters during the Christmas break to students whose attendance improved.
The board approved the first reading of the 2026'27 school calendar (with family feedback favoring full-week fall break, full Thanksgiving week, two weeks at Christmas and a full week of spring break) and accepted the districtwide start and end times of 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for the 2026'27 year. Trustees also set the first regular January meeting for Thursday, Jan. 15 at 6:00 p.m. in the boardroom.