North Carolina public schools could start earlier in the year under new bill

03/25/2025 | WRAL

The North Carolina state Senate leader wants to give public education leaders more flexibility in starting their school year.

State law currently forbids public school districts from starting class instruction before the Monday closest to Aug. 26 — but nearly a quarter of the state’s districts broke the law last year. A bill filed by Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, attempts to strike a compromise between school leaders who want scheduling flexibility and businesses in the tourism industry that prefer longer summer breaks.

Senate Bill 754 would allow schools to start as early as the Monday closest to Aug. 19, though they would have to end no later than the Friday before Memorial Day.

But the bill would also pose punishments for school boards that defy the law – something Berger has previously floated. If a school board set a calendar in violation of the law and did not remedy it, the board would lose its state funding for central office staff and supplies.

Business owners would also be allowed to sue a school board for setting a different calendar.

The bill is a major shift for Berger, who has long resisted bipartisan calls for more calendar flexibility. Dozens of bills allowing more calendar flexibility are filed each session but don’t get hearings in the Senate.

“This balances the desire of some school districts to start the school year earlier while still supporting our local businesses dependent on summer tourism,” Berger said in his office’s news release announcing the bill. “We must take the appropriate steps to hold school districts that break the law accountable.”

The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Amy Galey, R-Alamance, and Michael Lee, R-New Hanover, who have supported more calendar flexibility, based on feedback from school districts.

Last year, a group of parents and business owners sued the Carteret County school board last year for approving an Aug. 13 start date. A judge eventually forced the district to adopt a new calendar.

School systems, boards and families support an earlier start date largely for the sake of high school students and students who, because of late start dates, are forced to take end-of-semester exams after two-week-long winter breaks. Community colleges also typically start the school year earlier, and a growing number of high school students are dually enrolled in community college courses.

Many businesses that benefit from tourism, however, have preferred a later start date to capitalize on late summer beach travel.

Tuesday’s announcement was welcome news to Wake County Board of Education Chairman Chris Heagarty who, along with the rest of the school board, has long pushed for an earlier start date. He said he plans to take a closer look at the proposal.

“A majority of our state legislators — urban, rural, Democrat, Republican — all support more calendar flexibility, but it’s been held up year after year,” he said. “So this is an encouraging move.”