A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE SCHOOL CALENDAR FLEXIBILITY PILOT PROGRAM.
Whereas, studies show that students in high poverty areas suffer a greater degree of summer learning loss; and
Whereas, any student is prone to have poorer performance on final exams taken after an extended holiday break; and
Whereas, in 2004, the State enacted rigid regulation of school calendar start and end dates; and
Whereas, no factual data supports that later school start dates have a negative effect on North Carolina tourism; and
Whereas, over 122 schools across 31 North Carolina counties currently have year‑round school calendars; and
Whereas, many students return to school in late July or early August for athletic training; and
Whereas, many high schools and middle schools have football games and other sports activities during the first weekends in August; and
Whereas, 43 House bills and 15 Senate bills sought to enact school calendar flexibility during the 2017‑2018 legislative session, on behalf of 96 local boards of education in 81 counties; and
Whereas, tourism is a significant contributor to the North Carolina economy; and
Whereas, North Carolina consistently ranks as the sixth most visited state in the country; and
Whereas, the State of North Carolina consistently appropriates more than 56% of its biennium budget to education; and
Whereas, the citizens of North Carolina rightfully expect the very best return on their investment in public education, and it is imperative to factually determine what effect, if any, school calendar start dates may have on tourism; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Purpose. – The State Board of Education (State Board) shall establish a School Calendar Flexibility Pilot Program (Program). The purpose of the Program is to determine the impact of school calendar flexibility for opening and closing dates on student achievement and summer internships and to identify and quantify the communities that can support local school calendar control and those that cannot.
SECTION 2.  Participation. – All local school administrative units in the following counties, which collectively represent the geographic, economic, and social diversity of the State, are authorized to participate in the Program: Anson County, Bladen County, Cabarrus County, Caldwell County, Catawba County, Cherokee County, Cleveland County, Davidson County, Davie County, Duplin County, Graham County, Greene County, Guilford County, Martin County, McDowell County, Mitchell County, Northampton County, Robeson County, Transylvania County, Warren County, Washington County, and Wilson County.
Any local board of education of a local school administrative unit authorized to participate in the Program may elect not to participate. For each local school administrative unit that elects not to participate in the Program, the State Board may authorize one replacement local school administrative unit to participate in the Program. Together, the local school administrative units participating in the Program shall represent the geographic, economic, and social diversity of the State.
SECTION 3.  Implementation. – Each local school administrative unit participating in the Program shall do so for three school years, beginning in either the 2019‑2020 school year or the 2020‑2021 school year. The State Board shall provide the Department of Commerce with a list of the participating local school administrative units no later than February 1, 2020.
Notwithstanding G.S. 115C‑84.2(d), local boards of education of participating local school administrative units shall determine, for the duration of the Program, the dates of opening and closing the public schools under subdivision (a)(1) of G.S. 115C‑84.2. Except for year‑round schools, the opening date for students shall be no earlier than the Monday closest to August 10 and the closing date for students shall be no later than the Friday closest to June 11. A local board may revise the scheduled closing date if necessary in order to comply with the minimum requirements for instructional days or instructional time.
The required opening and closing dates under this section shall not apply to any school that a local board designated as having a modified calendar for the 2003‑2004 school year or to any school that was part of a planned program in the 2003‑2004 school year for a system of modified calendar schools, so long as the school operates under a modified calendar.
SECTION 4.  Data Collection by Department of Public Instruction. – For the duration of the Program, the Department of Public Instruction shall contact each participating local school administrative unit annually to determine (i) the actual dates for opening and closing the public schools, (ii) the impact of the Program on student achievement and summer internships, and (iii) any other information the Department deems necessary for purposes of the study. The Department of Public Instruction shall provide the Department of Commerce with the actual dates for opening and closing the public schools in each participating local school administrative unit.
SECTION 5.  Department of Commerce Evaluation. – The Department of Commerce shall study the effect of the Program on the travel and tourism industry for all 100 counties of the State.
SECTION 6.  Reports. – By November 15 of each year following the operation of the Program, the State Board and the Department of Commerce shall separately report to the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on the effects of the Program. The State Board shall report on (i) implementation and administration of the Program; (ii) any impact of the Program on student achievement; (iii) any effect of the Program on summer internships; and (iv) any recommendations on the modification, continuation, and potential expansion of the Program statewide. The State Board shall also recommend any local school administrative units that should be assigned calendar flexibility on an ongoing basis. The Department of Commerce shall report on any economic impact of the Program on the tourism industry in the State. The School of Government shall evaluate this information and provide an aggregated report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by December 15 of the same year.
SECTION 7.  This act is effective when it becomes law.