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Fort Mill presents proposed modified 2025–26 school calendar with fall and February weeks off
Summary
District staff presented a proposed modified year-round 2025–26 calendar that would start teachers July 28 and students Aug. 4, add a full week in October and a February week off (purchased from summer days), and keep a roughly 10-week student summer; the item was presented for first reading and the board invited public feedback.
Joe Burke presented the school district's recommended 2025–26 modified year-round calendar at the board meeting, explaining the rationale, trade-offs and operational details.
Under the proposal, students would begin on Aug. 4 and teachers would start July 28. The calendar builds two built-in break weeks (one in October/fall break and one in February) by moving a small number of instruction days from summer into the academic year (presenter said the net effect buys back approximately four summer days). Burke said the calendar was developed after outreach to York County districts and district departments to preserve cohesion across nearby districts and to accommodate transportation, construction and instructional needs.
Burke acknowledged trade-offs: new South Carolina teachers starting earlier become eligible for a full month of health insurance through PEBA, which affects payroll and premiums; some athletic and extracurricular schedules will need local adjustments because state activity calendars vary by district; teachers and eligible year-round staff may not be off during the purple break days unless they are part of the typical student-year staffing categories.
The presenter emphasized the proposal is a first reading and asked the community to provide feedback through the district communications email before the next board meeting. The board did not vote on the calendar at the meeting; a second presentation and a public-comment period are expected prior to any final adoption.
