Year Round Schools - What's the deal? (Raleigh: elementary schools, to move)

[NJmomandteacher]

My husband and I have been considering relocating to NC and, from everything we've read, Wake County looked good to us. (Good schools, nice areas, etc.) As we've researched this further it looks as though they are making the move entirely to year round schools. Am I correct in this assumption? How does the public feel about it? What about the teachers? My husband and I are both school teachers in NJ and this has basically put a halt to our considering Wake County. Between our jobs and our kids' school schedules I don't imagine we could find any free time together.

Does this seem to be the trend in other areas of NC, as well? We'd really like to move but good schools (with a traditional calendar) in a nice moderate-liberal minded community are a priority. Does anyone have any input or suggestions?

[AmyK]

I can't tell you about other places in NC, but Wake seems to be going in that direction, at least in the elementary schools. There is a lot of info about it on their (local Raleigh) newspaper website, especially in WakeEd under the Blogs tab.
www.newsobserver.com
Also look at the Raleigh metro section of this forum -- it's a subsection of the North Carolina section; I remember there have been some posts about it there that will give you some info and opinions. Good luck in your decision.

[AmyK]

You might need search the forum to find all the posts that cover this subject -- you could also try re-posting your question in that section.

[scottinmass]

From what i've read on the forum here, Wake elementary schools will be year round and they will be on four tracks, you should be able to get your children on the same track. And alot of teachers like the year round there because students retain more than having the two months off in the summer, no reteaching.
also vacations are less expensive because you don't have to go on the typical school vacation weeks. it's basically 9 weeks on ,3 weeks off all year and they just rotate the tracks. I kind of like the idea myself and if and when we move I will embrace it. Scott

[Guene]

I taught in year round schools and I LOVED it.

It:

*relieves overcrowding
*eliminates reteaching - no summer brain fog
*always a break coming up. We were on three months, off one, three times a year. So you might have school in July, be off in August, school in Sept Oct Nov, be off in December, school in Jan Feb March, be off in April, school in May and June (and July). A four track system just varies the months. And 1/4 of the school population is always on vacation.
*Less teacher burnout
*Pay 12 months out of the year! No saving $ for summer.
*You can travel during the off months without pulling your kids out of school!

If you can get you and your husband and your kids all on the same track, I promise you, you will really love this schedule. Districts are usually very good about placing families all on the same track together, their parents too if they are teachers.