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Board of Education Wrap-Up
January 25, 2023 – The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education approved a calendar for the 2023-24 school year during their meeting on Tuesday night.
The district sent out surveys to stakeholders earlier this school year to see what changes they would like to see to the annual schedule. Chief Officer of Operations Lauren Richards says that the 398 survey responses received suggested changes such as starting the school year earlier, lengthening winter break, lining up spring break with Easter, and creating reserve days at the end of each nine-week period. After weighing these suggestions against requirements from the state, the district drafted a calendar that is largely the same as the 2022-23 calendar.
North Carolina has several rules for school scheduling that all districts must follow, including starting the school year no earlier than the Monday closest to August 26, ending no later than the Friday closest to June 11, allowing at least 10 annual leave days, and assigning no more than 185 instructional days or 1,025 instructional hours. The 2023-24 calendar reflects the district’s best efforts to reconcile these protocols with the wishes of parents. The Board will continue to advocate for improvements to policy while giving students and staff the best possible scheduling system to facilitate effective learning.
“We recognize that we can’t do a lot with this calendar, but we want to do some,” Board Member Sabrina Coone said.
The Board voted unanimously to approve this calendar, with the amendment that January 2 be changed to a reserve day for teachers.
Also on the Board’s agenda for the evening were:
- A performance by The Downtown School Dance Team
- Recognitions for Professional Educators of NC Art, students selected for the North Carolina All-State Orchestra, a donation from the Winston-Salem Open, and a proclamation for National School Counseling Week during the first full week of February
- A report on the district’s Fiscal Year 2022 Audit
- Approval of a preconstruction services contract for the Philo-Hill edifice, a Duke Energy easement, bids for a renovation at 3810 Liberty Street, and several other action items
The Board’s next meeting will be on Tuesday, February 14.