NC House considering bill to study year-round schools

Year-round schools could become more common under a bill on the move in the North Carolina House.

House Bill 610 passed two House committees earlier in April and is scheduled to be voted on the House floor on Wednesday. The measure directs the NC Department of Public Instruction to study the feasibility of requiring each local school administrative unit to maintain at least one year-round school for grades K-12.

The study would examine the administrative and operational costs of year-round schools, transportation and logistical challenges for students at these schools, barriers to establishing year-round schools, and potential enrollment increases if the schools are more accessible.

“This is a relatively straightforward study bill. What I believe to be true is that year-round schools have better educational outcomes, especially in younger grades. You don’t have to worry about the learning loss over the summer break,” said the bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Timothy Reeder, R-Pitt.

Rep. Frank Iler, R-Brunswick, brought up a concern from coastal areas that increasing the prevalence of year-round schools could hurt the tourism industry in those areas.

“What I personally believe is that everybody will adjust their vacation time to accommodate year-round schools,” he said.

Democrats have also voiced support for the measure.

“Here in Wake County, we have many year-round schools, and they’re all very popular. There’s a certain set of parents and staff members who appreciate the schedule,” said Rep. Julie Von Haefen, D-Wake. “It’s not for everybody, but hear a lot in this building about school choice, and it’s just another choice that parents can make here in Wake County, along with our wonderful magnet schools, our year-round schools, our traditional public schools.”

Wake County has nearly fifty year-round schools at the elementary and middle school levels. Under state law public schools are required to have 185 days, or 1025 hours, of instruction covering at least nine calendar months.

The post NC House considering bill to study year-round schools first appeared on Carolina Journal.