Solanco School Board approves earlier 2026–27 start, swaps teacher in-service day
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Summary
The Solanco School District board voted Feb. 23 to move the first student day in 2026–27 to Tuesday, Aug. 25, shift a weather makeup day from October to February, and change the teacher in-service day from MLK Day to Easter Monday to align with neighboring districts and ease CTC scheduling conflicts.
The Solanco School District board on Feb. 23 approved a revised 2026–27 school calendar that moves the first student day to Tuesday, Aug. 25, from the district's traditional start the Monday before Labor Day.
Superintendent Dr. Bliss said the change responds to neighboring districts starting earlier and to scheduling conflicts with the county career-and-technical center (CTC). "Our first day of school will be August 31" under the old pattern, he said, but "instead of Monday, August 31 being the first student day, it'll be Tuesday, August 25." He added the shift aims to make start dates more predictable for parents and to reduce CTC conflicts for students who attend the CTC.
Why it matters: moving the start date brings Solanco more in line with nearby districts and addresses operational issues for students who attend regional CTC programs, which set schedules based on aggregate district calendars.
Board members pressed for details on attendance impacts for late-year end days and makeup-day planning. Dr. Bliss said elementary attendance on the last day is typically higher than secondary attendance and that seniors often are not in the high school building on the final day. He noted weather makeup days were rearranged to reduce conflicts with AP testing and other calendar pressures.
Other calendar adjustments approved include shifting a weather-makeup day from October into February, and swapping the teacher in-service day previously held on MLK Jr. Day to Easter Monday. "The request we had from teachers is that that's not a report day for teachers," Dr. Bliss said of the MLK-day change, and he described the swap as a response to teacher leadership feedback.
The board approved the calendar by voice vote after discussion. The superintendent said the last day under the approved calendar will fall in early June (the transcript referenced June 7 in one explanation) and that the district will aim to keep the same number of student and in-service days.
Next steps: The calendar will be posted and used for planning; staff will finalize details such as convocation and in-service scheduling and notify families of the earlier start date.
