Thousands of Wake students are in limbo. Their calendar hangs on what NC lawmakers do.
The calendar for thousands of Wake County students hinges on whether state lawmakers quickly pass legislation that revises the definition of year-round schools.
The Wake County school board approved Tuesday a calendar that keeps the single-track year-round schools on that schedule for the 2020-21 school year. But school administrators warn that they may have to recommend moving those schools to a traditional calendar if a bill affecting year-round schools doesn’t pass in the General Assembly.
“What we have to pay attention to is what the Senate does now and that will tell us more,” Superintendent Cathy Moore told school board members.
Legislation unanimously passed by the state House on Wednesday gives single track year-round schools more flexibility in how they operate for the 2020-21 school year. House Bill 1035 also expands the number of remote learning days schools can use next school year and drops the restriction that remote learning can’t be used before Aug. 24.
“We inadvertently left out a legitimate year-round school in Wake County so it changes the definition to include it,” said Rep. Ashton Wheeler Clemmons, a Guilford County Democrat, said before the vote.
In year-round schools, students get periodic three-week breaks instead of a long summer vacation. Wake uses two kinds of year-round calendars.
In the multi-track year-round calendar, the students are split into four groups called tracks that follow their own schedules. This can increase the number of students who attend the school.
In the single-track calendar, all the students follow the same schedule.
Coronavirus changing school schedules
The multi-track schools were scheduled to begin July 6 but will now start Aug. 3 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The delayed opening is leading to changes such as adding 15 minutes to the school day to ensure students meet state requirements for hours of instruction.
It’s also leading to the breaks being shortened to two-week vacations. Wake says it’s necessary to ensure that students will finish next school year in June.
But Wake says coronavirus relief legislation approved in May didn’t give them this same flexibility for single-track schools. This led to a recommendation on June 2 to move those schools to a traditional calendar this fall.
Under House Bill 1035 though, Wake says the revised wording there on year-round schools allows them to not change the calendar for the single-track schools. Administrators said those schools will also likely need to add 15 minutes to their daily schedule this fall.
“These technical updates, if approved, will provide the critically needed flexibility that we may need,” said Wade Martin, assistant superintendent for school choice, planning and assignment.
School board members are concerned whether the legislation will be approved by the Senate.
“My concern is making sure that the Senate calendars it and doesn’t stall it,” said school board member Monika Johnson-Hostler, whose district has most of the single-track schools.
This story was originally published June 17, 2020 at 1:18 PM.
