Murphy – The Cherokee County Board of Education is supporting legislation that would give local school boards more flexibility in adopting school calendars.
State Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Franklin) is joined by one other Republican and three Democrat sponsors of Senate Bill 170. It was filed on Feb. 28 and passed its first reading on March 1, when it was referred to the Committee on Rules & Operations of the Senate.
The legislation would allow local school boards to determine school year opening and closing dates with the ability to revise the scheduled closing date of school if necessary in order to comply with minimum requirements for instructional days and times. It would affect Cherokee, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain and Transylvania counties, as well as Asheville City Schools.
In a region of the state where snow days and other weather-related school closures are a regular occurrence, this bill would allow the school districts to start school earlier in the year or delay summer break rather than try to squeeze weather makeup days into the regular school year. If passed, it would take effect in the 2023-24 school year.
“By complying with the current law governing the opening and closing dates of the school calendar, it is very difficult, and in some years impossible, to align testing with the end of the first semester,” according to the Cherokee County Board of Education resolution.
Schools and students are forced to teach and learn curriculum in a shorter period of time, thus, compromising the quality and effectiveness of instructional delivery during the first semester, the resolution said, adding that student test scores have been affected due to testing being conducted after the Christmas and New Year break.
With the passage of Senate Bill 170, the opening date can be adjusted to ensure ample instructional time is provided for educators to teach and students to learn in order to more adequately prepare for mid-term testing, according to the Cherokee County resolution.
The resolution is advisory in nature and has no authority in legislative decisions. Copies of the resolution will be sent to the General Assembly and Gov. Roy Cooper. The board encourages parents, students, and community members to contact their state legislators to support Senate Bill 170, the resolution said.