Should schools in Fort Mill go to a year-round calendar? Now’s the time to be heard
Fort Mill could be the next school district to switch to a modified year-round calendar. But not this coming year, and not before the district gets plenty of feedback.
The Fort Mill School District will email a survey out on Monday to parents and staff to solicit input. Superintendent Chuck Epps said he’s aware of 18 districts in the state moving to the modified calendar. Epps wants to give his district time to process the decision.
“Rock Hill is taking the same strategy we’re taking,” Epps said. “Clover and York already approved their calendars, and changed them.”
District public information officer Joe Burke outlined a traditional calendar plan, and a possible modified one, when the Fort Mill school board met Tuesday. Some dates coincide. Others don’t.
“This is a significant shift in how we have done school calendars,” Burke said.
What changes with year-round?
No calendar has come up for a vote in Fort Mill, but two options were shown Tuesday.
A traditional calendar for 2024-25 would start school on Aug. 19, 2024. Teachers would report a week earlier. Three days off for Thanksgiving would join the typical winter break — in this case from Dec. 19, 2024 to Jan. 3, 2025. Spring break would be the third week of April. School would end on June 5, 2025.
A modified, year-round approach would start school two weeks earlier, on Aug. 5, 2024. Thanksgiving wouldn’t change. Neither would the number of teacher work days, half days and early release days, though the dates for them would shift. Winter break would run Dec. 23, 2024 through Jan. 2, 2025 with a teacher work day the following day, a Friday. Spring break would be a week later, compared to the traditional model. The last day of school would be May 29, 2025.
New in the modified calendar are two weeks off for students. They would come Oct. 14-18, 2024 and March 17-21, 2025. Each of those weeks includes a teacher work day.
Why the change?
South Carolina law requires public schools to start no sooner than the third Monday in August. Area school districts have long wanted to start school earlier to even out instruction time before and after winter break. It’s particularly important in high school where block scheduling means students take most classes only for half the school year.
Fort Mill board member Michele Branning has held various state level school advocacy positions in her time on the board. Branning said the school start date has been her personal project the past seven years, and she’s met with legislators and others on the issue. She’s also spoken with districts around the state, and the almost two dozen that have gone with modified calendars to date won’t be the last.
“It’s going to be more than that,” Branning said. “They’re talking about it, looking at it.”
The modified calendar has been an option since 2007, but the idea picked up steam the past couple of years.
“It just never had a definition and nobody ever really explained what a modified year-round calendar is,” Burke said.
The modified calendar shown Tuesday would perfectly split the school year in two 90-day terms. The 2024-25 school year is a particularly difficult year for the traditional approach, given August starts on a Thursday next year and schools have to take off for elections in November.
“This is the worst case scenario for a calendar,” Burke said. “This is the calendar we try to avoid as often as possible.”
In other years, like when August starts on a Sunday or Monday, calendars aren’t as problematic.
Expected calendar concern
Summers typically would be a week shorter. Because the coming school year is traditional, the switch to a modified year-round model would further shrink the summer.
There also are childcare needs for two extra weeks during the school year. School sports could be impacted from summer conditioning to schedules during the October and March off weeks. Lots of community organizations use Fort Mill schools, like the town parks and recreation department, which typically calls off practices and games when schools aren’t open.
Involvement with the community, from facility use to summer camps and other events, is part of the reason the district began approving calendars two years in advance.
“Our community is planning their life around that calendar, too,” Burke said.
Epps said if new schools open in the 2025 to 2027 range, an earlier start could be an issue as construction typically runs right up through the summer to a start date. The district has a proposed zoning change in front of county planners now for a site that would bring a new middle and elementary school.
“We’re going to have construction people who are going to want to beg us to stretch it out,” Epps said.
Positives to calendar change
Burke said in informal conversations with parents, he’s heard excitement for the weeks off in October and March as families could travel at off peak times.
Those weeks also would be used to help students in need during terms, rather than waiting until summer school. The district could contract with teachers who would like to help those students during remediation weeks, but it wouldn’t be required.
“It’s intended to be a break,” said Board Chair Kristy Spears, “unless a student is in that situation.”
The most significant positive for school officials would be the balanced schedule they’ve long wanted but couldn’t achieve by traditional means under current state law. A modified calendar still keeps significant time off for summer while improving other parts of the calendar.
“It still gets close to meeting when we want to be in and out of school,” Burke said.
Carowinds, Leroy Springs
Parents, students and teachers aren’t the only ones impacted.
Carowinds is a driving economic force in the region, and many Fort Mill students work there during the summer. Leroy Springs & Co. employs many for summer camps, after-school programs and similar activities throughout the year.
“They’re going to be impacted too,” Epps said.
Epps said he’s spoken with Leroy Springs, parent company to the Anne Springs Close Greenway. Branning said in the past she spoke with Carowinds, as state legislators voiced concern on how any potential law change on the start date might impact the tourism force. Branning said those partners, like parents, need to know what the district intends to do -- and have time to adjust.
“Carowinds is now going to year-round, so their impact may be minimal, or shifting,” Branning said.
Board members say whatever the likes and dislikes, whether from the community or school staff, participation in the upcoming survey will be critical. The district intends to email it out on Monday. Respondents will have the ability to write in whatever thoughts they’d like to share. A final decision will come this spring.
“It’s really critically important that our public takes the time to respond,” Branning said.
This story was originally published January 11, 2023 at 11:11 AM.
