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Proposed 2025–26 Upshur County calendar keeps established schedule, preserves Strawberry Festival day
Summary
The district presented a 2025–26 calendar largely similar to the current year, coordinated with four neighboring counties, preserves the Strawberry Festival day as a student holiday, sets a half‑day student start in August and balances semesters (about 85/95 days); final approval follows the required public comment/hearing process.
District staff presented a proposed 2025–26 school calendar that largely mirrors the current schedule and aims to minimize surprises for families through coordination with neighboring counties.
"This calendar is very similar to the current calendar we have," Speaker 4 said during the informational calendar hearing, noting collaboration with Lewis, Barber, Gilmer and Calhoun counties so shared programs and technical centers align. Staff said they try to keep the calendar differences minimal so students who move between counties or who attend shared programs do not miss instruction.
Key elements reported by staff include: a student half day at the start of the school year (staff present for a full day), semester structure with about 85 instructional days in the first semester and about 95 in the second, a 200th instructional‑day mark placed on May 29, a full week of Thanksgiving and two weeks at Christmas, and a professional‑learning day for staff on January 2 with students returning January 5. The calendar also includes an OS day on the Monday of election week to reduce disruption during testing windows.
Staff said they have not received public comments on the proposed calendar to date and that initial feedback from employees and administrators has been positive. Board members discussed community requests—such as aligning holidays with local camps or festivals—but noted that accommodating every special interest could make it difficult to meet the 180‑day instructional requirement.
Next steps: the calendar will be posted for the statutory hearing process and the board will consider final approval after required notice and any public comment.
