Catawba County schools could start Aug. 7 for 2012-13 year

Catawba County Schools will have about two weeks less of summer this year, after the school board approved a new school calendar for the 2012-13 year on Monday.

Under the new calendar, unanimously approved at the board meeting, students will go back to school on Aug. 7. In a previously approved calendar, they were scheduled to begin school on Aug. 27. Under the new version, students will have 67 days of vacation this summer, or just over two months, compared with the 79 days under the old calendar. Students will get out of school on May 23, 2013.

The school system is eligible for a waiver with the state for its calendar based on winter weather, said school board Chairwoman Joyce Spencer. Students will get out of school on June 8 this year.

The waiver still must be approved by the state board in March, giving Catawba County Schools notification by April 1, Spencer said.

“We didn’t feel we could wait to notify parents,” she said.

According to a law passed in the 2003-04 legislative session, school is not allowed to begin before Aug. 25 and cannot get out after June 10. This was designed to help the tourism industry. Because Aug. 25 is on a Saturday, the 2012-13 school year was scheduled for Aug. 27.

However, the law allows for a weather waiver for any school systems that have been closed for eight days a year for four of 10 years due to inclement weather.

 The weather waiver will allow the school system to have more flexibility with the school calendar to allow time to make up for snow days.

Catawba County Schools is eligible for the waiver because it missed several days during the 2002-03, 2003-04, 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years, said Glenn Barger, system superintendent.

If there are no missed days this year but there are next year, the school system will still be eligible for the waiver, Barger said. If the school system misses enough days this year and next year, it can get a waiver for seven years, he said.

If the school system does not miss any school days due to weather this year or next, it will still be eligible for the waiver, Barger said. However, the system will have to go back to the current, Aug. 25-June 10 calendar the following school year.

Newton-Conover City Schools did not miss enough days to qualify for the waiver because students attended school on a few days that Catawba County Schools did not. However, it can piggyback off Catawba County Schools’ eligibility because it is in the same county and shares services, said Superintendent Barry Redmond.

Newton-Conover City Schools sent information about a new calendar to parents and staff on Monday, and hopes to adopt it at its next board meeting on Feb. 13.

What Redmond is most concerned about is completing the new middle school during the shortened summer schedule if the new school calendar is approved.

“We’re going to have to work really hard to meet that August deadline,” he said.

Redmond thinks it will be worth it, though.

“The whole impetus is so kids can go to college classes and get exams in before Christmas,” he said.

With the new schedule, the first semester will be finished before school lets out for the holiday. That benefits dual-enrolled students, as well as students who plan to graduate in December and attend college in January.

Redmond and Spencer said most teachers will support it, due to a new law that was passed saying teachers will not be prepaid for the month and will therefore not receive a full paycheck in August.

Hickory Public Schools is eligible to apply for the waiver and plans to address the school calendar at its board retreat on Friday.