Should Rock Hill schools start back in July? The district wants to hear from parents
The Rock Hill School District could join others in York County with a new school calendar that starts earlier in the summer, but adds two week-long breaks.
The school board reviewed a potential calendar Tuesday night for the 2025-26 school year. Board members want community feedback before they make a final decision, likely Oct. 8.
Here’s what to know about the pending decision, and how it will impact students:
What’s in the new calendar?
The proposed calendar brings teachers back July 24 and students back July 31 from summer break in 2025. For comparison, the school year that started last month brought teachers back Aug. 1 for an Aug. 8 start date for students.
The trade-off is two weeks off during the year, one each in October 2025 and February 2026. Other districts across the state that have gone to a similar model have used those weeks as time off, for camps, special programming or remediation to help students who are falling behind in class.
“We look to do something similar during those weeks,” said Superintendent Tommy Schmolze.
The proposed calendar has a full week off at Thanksgiving, up from three days in the current calendar. Traditional winter and spring breaks would be similar to years past. School would end May 29, 2026.
York County schools moving together
York and Clover schools already have similar models, with the October and February weeks off.
They started earlier this year than Rock Hill and Fort Mill schools. Fort Mill recently presented a model with the two weeks off, and the board there will make a decision next month.
“All York (County) students and faculty that live here will have really close to the same calendar,” Schmolze said of the potential Rock Hill change.
District officials sees advantages to that coordination. People don’t always live, work and raise children in the same York County districts. Board member Pete Nosal likes the current calendar, but could get behind the change, too.
“There’s a lot of value in being consistent, and this is consistent across the (York County) districts,” he said. “With all the crossover we have with teachers and kids and spouses, this is probably something I can support.”
Four day calendar would take time, input
There was discussion Tuesday about the four-day school model, something used in other parts of the country. Students would have longer days, but only four of them instead of five.
The thinking is, students get an extra day off but have more learning time the other days. Staying longer also could help parents who may need to pick up students later each day.
“Right now, there is not an opportunity for us to approve a four-day calendar,” said board Chair Helena Miller.
The state Education Department wouldn’t allow it, she said, but the board will listen to feedback on the proposed calendar to see if there’s community interest. At some point calendar rules could change, as they have in recent years when districts across the state began approving earlier start dates.
Board thoughts on the proposed calendar
Board members brought up positive and negative reactions to the proposed calendar.
Several members liked the way it lines up closely with neighboring districts, but there was concern about starting so early. Fort Mill, for instance, would start that same year in early August compared to a late July start in Rock Hill, according to calendars up for approval in both districts.
The Rock Hill calendar halved the number of half days to four. Retired teacher and board member Mildred Douglas shared concern about half days when parents would need to arrange childcare, and for the new week off in the winter when schools typically gear up for state testing.
“I’m concerned with all the vacation time, especially in the month of February,” Douglas said.
School board wants feedback
The board wants to approve the new calendar next month. Per its policy, they have until December.
Board members want feedback but offered hesitation Tuesday on a full survey. Past ones brought in comments from outside the district that weren’t helpful, Miller said.
The proposed calendar hadn’t been sent to parents ahead of Tuesday’s board meeting.
Schmolze would like to see input in the coming month, including from people who like the proposal or would propose small modifications to it. Feedback tends to skew toward people who don’t like whatever is being proposed, and doesn’t always fully reflect people who do, he said.
“The feedback is for anybody to give, not just those that don’t like it,” Schmolze said.
For more information on feedback, visit rock-hill.k12.sc.us.
