Calendar changes coming at 8 Wake year-round schools. Here’s where and when
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Board voted unanimously to convert eight year‑round schools to single‑track.
- Seven schools will switch in 2027‑28 and Sycamore Creek will switch in 2028‑29.
- District projects $1 million in savings; some employees will be paid for fewer months.
Calendars will change at eight Wake County year-round schools, but families who like the calendar were able to get a compromise from the school system.
The Wake County school board unanimously voted on Tuesday to convert Heritage Elementary and Heritage Middle in Wake Forest and Holly Grove Elementary and Holly Grove Middle in Holly Springs to a single-track year-round calendar. Staff had initially recommended switching them to a traditional calendar over the objections of many parents and employees.
“I want the families to know that they were heard,” said board member Cheryl Caulfield, whose district includes the Heritage schools. “I heard many comments along the way.
“People felt like their voices weren’t being heard, and I hope that this shows that we are hearing you and this is a good compromise.”
The board also voted to switch Holly Springs Elementary and Rex Road Elementary in Holly Springs, Pleasant Grove Elementary in Cary and Sycamore Creek Elementary in Raleigh to a single-track year-round calendar.
The decision came after school administrators said the district no longer needed the additional capacity that the eight schools provided on the multi-track year-round calendar.
What’s a year-round school calendar?
Students at year-round schools take short periodic breaks instead of having a long summer vacation.
Wake operates multiple types of year-round schools. In a single-track year-round school, all the students follow the same schedule.
Wake also operates multi-track year-round schools that split the students into four rotating groups, called tracks, with three in session and one on break at all times. The multi-track calendar can increase a school’s capacity by 25% or more.
Wake expanded the use of multi-track schools in the 2000s and 2010s to keep up with growth. But Wake’s growth is now slowing.
Wake says it can save $1 million by changing the calendars at the eight schools to either traditional calendar or single track. Some employees are paid less because they don’t work as many months.
“Even though we can’t keep the status quo of multi-track, at least we can keep the year-round calendar,” said board member Wing Ng.
Calendar changes in 2027 and 2028
School administrators said they wanted to vote on the changes now to give families and school employees more time to prepare for the change. The calendar conversions will lead to changes such as when families go on vacations and arrange for childcare during breaks.
Sycamore Creek will change calendars in the 2028-29 school year. The seven other schools will change in the 2027-28 school year.
Administrators had initially recommended converting the Heritage schools in 2028. But they suggested moving the change up a year when the board opted to switch them to single track instead of traditional calendar.
“It is very clear that the communities in all of these discussions are very much in support of not only their schools and their school communities, but they’ve grown really fond of their year-round calendars,” said Susan Pullium, senior director of student assignment. “That has not been a point of contention at the staff level. We understand that, which is why this is one of the more difficult and challenging tools that we use in our toolbox to manage facility utilization.”
Conversion to traditional calendar rejected
The most heated fights came over the proposal to change the Heritage and Holly Grove schools to the traditional calendar.
Administrators pointed out that the four schools were under-enrolled and said they could provide families K-12 calendar continuity since most students go on to traditional-calendar high schools.
Administrators also say that converting the middle schools to a traditional calendar would provide students with equitable access to programs and extracurricular offerings such as athletics. Opportunities may vary between tracks at some year-round schools.
“Athletics should not be a deciding factor,” said Anna Cole, a Heritage parent. “We should not be putting athletics above what’s best for most of our staff, students and families.”
Parents said the year-round calendar is better for their children because there’s less learning loss when you don’t have a long summer vacation. They asked for anything but the traditional calendar.
“Please do not go to traditional for the sake of my child in special education and for me as a working mom,” said parent Liz Gauthier. “I chose Heritage for this reason.”
