By Sarah Campbell
scampbell@salisburypost.com
EAST SPENCER ó Labor Day has been spared in the school calendar for next school year.
The Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education voted Monday against the calendar committeeís recommendation to have Sept. 28 off in lieu of Labor Day on Sept. 3.
The committee is made up of about 10 staff, students and parents throughout the district.
ěIf we canít start school until Aug. 27 because Aug. 25 is a Saturday, the thought expressed was it doesnít make a whole lot of sense to start for a week and have a day off,î said Colby Cochran, director of assessments and accountability.
State law prohibits schools from starting before Aug. 25 and ending after June 10.
But school board members said itís important to keep the Labor Day holiday intact.
ěLabor Day is a family holiday,î board member Mike Caskey said. ěItís a last (summer) day to get together.î
School board member Bryce Beard said itís a day most families count on to take final summer vacations.
Board members were also unsettled about students going to school the day before Thanksgiving, Nov. 21. The calendar presented to the board Monday had students going to school for half a day.
Board Vice-Chairwoman Jean Kennedy said the day is typically chaotic, with both students and staff participating in the Holiday Caravan parade that runs through Spencer and Salisbury.
Superintendent Dr. Judy Grissom said sheís concerned about the number of students who might miss that day due to the parade.
ěNot only that, but you cannot even get to North High, North Middle and North Elementary after about noon,î she said.
The board agreed to take away Easter Monday, April 1, in order to have Nov. 21 off, but Cochran said that might not work since the day is in a different semester. He is going to check and get back with the board.
Since April 1 was also built in as a make-up day for inclement weather, Cochran said that limits the make-up days to spring break, which is March 25-28, and Saturdays.
ěIn a worst-case scenario spring break will turn into a three-day weekend,î Cochran said.
Other highlights of the 2012-13 calendar approved by the board Monday include:
Early release day Oct. 26;
Teacher workday Oct. 29;
Veterans Day Nov. 12;
Winter break from Dec. 24 through Jan. 1;
Spring break from March 25 through March 28;
Good Friday March 29;
Early release day April 26;
Memorial Day May 27;
Last day of school June 10.
Cochran said next yearís calendar was harder to draft because of the addition of five student days required by law.
And changes could be on the way.
Cochran said lawmakers could revisit the calendar law during the upcoming legislative session. If the number of student days is knocked back down to 180, that would open up more flexibility in scheduling.
He said legislators could also be looking at changing the bookends of the start and stop dates for the calendar.
ěItís extremely challenging to get everything in during that time frame,î he said.
The school system has also applied for a waiver from the State Board of Education. The waiver could allow the district to designate three of the additional days for training rather than student instruction.
Cochran said until those decisions are made, the calendar adopted Monday is not set in stone.
To view three versions of the calendar, including the version adopted by the board, a 185-day version with the student start date before Aug. 25 and a 182-day version with three staff training days, visit http://bit.ly/uz7mj0.
Contact reporter Sarah Campbell at 704-797-7683.
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