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Kent County board adopts Option 2 school calendar after record survey turnout
Summary
After a record 659 responses to a community calendar survey, the Kent County Board of Education voted unanimously Feb. 9 to adopt “Option 2” for the 2026–27 school year, a pre‑Labor Day start with a shorter spring break and a June 11 end date. The calendar committee cited strong student and parent participation in the decision.
The Kent County Board of Education voted unanimously Feb. 9 to adopt Option 2 for the 2026–27 school calendar, a committee‑recommended draft that keeps a pre‑Labor Day start while shortening spring break so the last day falls on June 11.
Board President Trish McGee opened the meeting by calling for a motion after calendar committee staff summarized three draft options and the results of two surveys. The committee said Option 2 received the most first‑choice responses (42.5%) from a record 659 respondents, including an unusually high student response rate.
"We saw high parent engagement and a notable increase in student responses," the committee noted while presenting the survey results. The administration recommended Option 2 based on the overall patterns in first and second choices.
Board members praised the committee’s outreach tactics, including adding a student representative to the calendar committee and sending a QR code on every student report card to solicit participation. One board member said the higher response total made the board’s choice easier to defend to constituents.
The motion to adopt Option 2 was made, seconded, and approved without opposition. President McGee said the adoption reflected community input and gave the board a defendable rationale for the choice.
The board noted practical constraints: Maryland requires students to receive 180 instructional days, and the district’s inclement‑weather plan (two built‑in closure days and then virtual instruction) informed the committee’s approach. Several board members asked administration to continue monitoring how the late Labor Day date affects summer staffing and family schedules.
Next steps: the adopted calendar will be published to the district website and distributed to families; administration will continue to report monthly attendance and any calendar adjustments before the start of school.
The board took the vote during its Feb. 9 meeting at the Administrative Building in Rock Hall. The board’s actions are reflected on the meeting’s consent and action items.
