Pitt County Schools board adopts 2026–27 academic calendar after public survey
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Summary
After reviewing results from a district survey of 612 respondents, the Pitt County Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt the 2026–27 academic calendar, aligning spring break with Pitt Community College and preserving balanced semesters to comply with the calendar law.
The Pitt County Board of Education on Jan. 5 adopted the district’s proposed 2026–27 academic calendar following a presentation of public survey results and discussion on scheduling and legal requirements.
District leaders said the calendar survey was open for two weeks and drew 612 responses across constituencies: 198 parent/guardians, 292 teachers, 51 classified staff, 27 district personnel, 13 school administrators, four community members without students and two others. Dr. Rich and Dr. Feller summarized recurring themes — month-by-month breaks to reduce burnout, requests for teacher work days adjacent to long breaks, and mixed views about spring break timing. “We do not want anyone to think that we do not hear what they are saying because we do hear that you would like for the semester to end in December,” one presenter said.
On spring break specifics, staff reported that 149 responses (about 25% of respondents) referenced spring break directly: 120 comments favored aligning the break with Easter and Good Friday, seven asked for a later April/May break and eight sought separation from Easter without indicating an earlier-or-later preference. Presenters said aligning the district’s spring break with community partners — including Pitt Community College — guided the recommended placement.
Officials also described instructional-balance concerns. Staff said moving to an earlier-start calendar that would let exams occur before winter break would create uneven semesters (an example given was 79 days in the first semester and 101 days in the second) and could put the district out of compliance with the state calendar law, exposing it to potential legal risk. The board emphasized maintaining instructional time as a priority.
Board member Worth moved to approve the calendar; Justin seconded. The motion carried unanimously, 8–0. The board and administration said staff will continue outreach with community partners as the district finalizes the calendar for publication.
The calendar’s adoption follows a December work session and additional engagement with Pitt Community College; staff said they will publish the final calendar and make supporting materials available to the public.