Wake county school - suggestion to start summer break after memorial day.. (middle schools, camping)

[nc99]

Friends were visiting from Atlanta and their kids school closed On Friday before the memorial day weekend. It makes sense! Here in wake county, kids have EOG/EOC etc right after memorial day weekend, doesn't make sense after all the travel/beach and camping. In Atlanta, they close early and open early, I think we should follow the same ? Thoughts ?

[TarHeelNick]

We did up until 2005. Growing up we started school the 2nd week of August and finished right before memorial day in WCPSS. State legislation passed in 2005 made it so that public schools could not start before August 25th or end past June 10th. This was largely done to bolster the tourism industry in the opinion of many folks.

I was a sophomore in high school when they did that so the majority of my k-12 years were the early/mid August-Late may school year. We had a really long summer break in Summer 2005; and then I only had two years with the "new" schedule. I didn't form a strong opinion one way or another.

As an after-school/daycamp director; I prefer the new calendar.

[nc99]

Originally Posted by TarHeelNick

As an after-school/daycamp director; I prefer the new calendar.

May I know how it help you ? Just curious

[jill7930]

Originally Posted by TarHeelNick

State legislation passed in 2005 made it so that public schools could not start before August 25th or end past June 10th. This was largely done to bolster the tourism industry in the opinion of many folks.

Not opinion. Fact.

The NC legislature was trying to allow only multi-track year-round schools to waive from the calendar law last year. The travel lobbies were all for it and pushing hard (despite what might be best for the families who are on the year round calendar).

DPS's year round schools are all single-track, and the legislature was bascially trying to force them all to traditional *right at the end of the school year*. Mind you, none of the affected families would have had any child care lined up for their children past mid-July because the kids were supposed to be in school then. It was beyond ridiculous. Fortunately, the families and schools of DPS and other counties with single track year round went full throttle and avoided the change, but it was incredibly unpleasant. And I hate that money and economics of summer at the beach is dictating educational policy. It's also the case that MANY families on year round go to the beach during their breaks in Fall, Winter, Spring, etc, so it's not that they're not spending money at the Coast, they're just doing it at a different time of the year.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/new...e85902522.html

[lamishra]

You can thank your NC legislators for bowing to tourism lobbyist who basically set the calendars by requiring that schools not start before August 25th. Kids in WCPSS high schools also take their exams after winter break now.
I did hear that law was up for reconsideration but haven't really followed up on it.

[LM117]

Originally Posted by lamishra

Kids in WCPSS high schools also take their exams after winter break now.

Yeah, we took our fall semester exams in January as well after the 2005 change. I hated that. I went to school in Wayne County and graduated in 2007.

[LM117]

Originally Posted by TarHeelNick

I was a sophomore in high school when they did that so the majority of my k-12 years were the early/mid August-Late may school year. We had a really long summer break in Summer 2005; and then I only had two years with the "new" schedule. I didn't form a strong opinion one way or another.

I was a sophomore as well during the 2004-2005 school year. I didn't care for the change and neither did the teachers, especially once the 2005-2006 school year started. I remember that Christmas breaks were shorter and instead of taking our fall semester exams in December like we did during the first two years of high school while the materials were fresh on our minds, we had to take them in January after Christmas break. Who the hell wants to spend the holidays studying for exams? Lol! We had to refresh our minds pretty fast once January rolled around. At least the 2006-2007 year went more smoothly since everybody had adjusted by then.

I did enjoy having that long summer break in 2005, so I can't complain much.

[BoBromhal]

if we could just get Wake and Mecklenburg to go to exclusively multi-track YR elementary and middle schools, then there wouldn't be an issue with the calendar.

[papilgee4evaeva]

Originally Posted by BoBromhal

if we could just get Wake and Mecklenburg to go to exclusively multi-track YR elementary and middle schools, then there wouldn't be an issue with the calendar.

... until you get to high school.

[BoBromhal]

no, they get a regular schedule for sports and part-time jobs and track-out jobs.