District proposes midwinter break, later August start in 2026–27 school calendar

Spartanburg County School District 1's curriculum director presented a proposed 2026–27 academic calendar that would start student instruction Aug. 6, include a mid-October long weekend (Oct. 15–16) and a midwinter break Feb. 15–19, and preserve five e-learning days plus designated inclement-weather days.

Erica Sinner, the district curriculum director, said the calendar is the product of feedback from teachers of the year, school improvement councils and PTOs and that the first staff development day would fall on July 30. "The first day of school for students on this proposed calendar would be August 6," Sinner said. She stressed there is no action required tonight and that the board will be asked to vote on the proposed calendar at the November meeting.

Board members asked for clarifications about how the designated inclement-weather days relate to the five e-learning days, how the schedule affects 240-day employees and whether the midwinter break would affect athletics and "dead week" for practices. The superintendent said the calendar was chosen countywide after polling PTOs, SICs and teacher forums across all seven districts, and that district-level votes follow countywide selection.

Sinner described plans to provide additional detail about which days will be designated inclement-weather days and how staff schedules will be handled during those times. Several board members said they had received positive feedback about shorter long summers and inserted breaks during the school year.

The board will consider the calendar for action at the November board meeting.