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School board reviews proposed 2026–27 calendar, previews 2027–28 draft
Summary
Hampton City School Board heard a presentation March 11 on the proposed 2026–27 school calendar and a preview of the 2027–28 draft. The plan sets Aug. 24 as the first day, retains winter and spring breaks, reduces banked instructional days to one, and adds secondary teachers to an October planning day.
Dr. Jennifer Thomasson, Hampton City Schools’ director of curriculum, instruction and assessment, presented the recommended 2026–27 school calendar and a preview of a 2027–28 draft at the board’s March 11 meeting.
“Our goal this evening is to review the 26–27 recommended calendar and take a sneak peek at the 27–28 draft calendar,” Thomasson told the board as she outlined committee priorities and stakeholder input. The calendar committee included parents, teachers, support personnel, administrators and division leadership and sought to meet Code of Virginia requirements while supporting instruction and professional learning.
The proposed 2026–27 highlights include a first student day of Monday, Aug. 24; a three‑day Thanksgiving break, Nov. 25–27; winter break from Dec. 21–Jan. 4 for students (two full weeks for staff with Jan. 4 as a teacher workday); spring break April 5–9; and a final student day of Wednesday, June 9 with graduations scheduled June 10–12.
Thomasson said the calendar keeps several features from the current schedule — including an election‑day teacher conference and dedicated teacher professional development days — but makes two notable changes. The committee reduced banked instructional days from two to one and expanded the October elementary planning day (Oct. 9) to include secondary teachers so planning days are uniform across grade levels.
A board member asked why the committee recommended only one banked day after previously keeping two. Thomasson replied that the division’s experience providing remote instruction during inclement weather has reduced the need to use banked days and that the single banked day was balanced against a desire to increase planning time for secondary teachers. “We have gotten really, really great at providing remote instruction during that inclement weather day,” she said.
Thomasson also previewed the 2027–28 draft, which largely mirrors the 2026–27 plan: one banked instructional day, an early closing day for high school employees the Friday before Memorial Day, and a projected first student day of Monday, Aug. 23 with a last student day of Wednesday, June 7 (teachers’ last day June 8). She said the committee will continue to meet during 2026–27 to collect feedback and refine the draft before a formal presentation in March 2027.
Why it matters: Calendar decisions affect families’ childcare planning and teachers’ professional learning time; adjusting banked days and aligning planning days across grade levels were cited as responses to stakeholder feedback.
Next steps: The calendar remains before the board as an item for deliberation. The board also scheduled a public hearing on the superintendent’s proposed budget for March 18 at Jones Magnet Middle School.
(Reporting based on remarks by Dr. Jennifer Thomasson, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment, and announcements by Superintendent Dr. Raymond Haynes at the March 11, 2026 Hampton City School Board meeting.)
