WAKE COUNTY, N.C. - "The 2016-2017 calendar is a difficult calendar to create,” says Wake County Schools spokesperson Tim Simmons.
Simmons says there are a limited number of days available between the first day of the school year and the last day of the school year as required by state law.
"There are only 184 days available, week days that are available which to have class. A school year is typically 180 days which left only four days for all the other professional development, teacher training, closing out of grades,” says Simmons.
Simmons says typically you'd like to have at least seven days during the school year for teachers to attend to those duties.
The newly proposed calendar, which will be voted on Tuesday night, is said to be a compromise....at it allows seven days for teachers and maintains spring break.
However....winter break will be shortened by one day and the district will be holding classes on the Jewish holy day of Rosh Hashanah.
"It's not preferable, but it was something we thought we had to do in order to ensure that we had enough days in there for professional development for teachers and meet the state law,” says Simmons.
Several bills have been introduced to lawmakers on school calendar flexibility, but little has been done to amend the state's calendar law, which was passed 11 years ago
Representative Rosa Gill of Wake County says more than 40 school boards have already requested flexibility in calendar this year.
And state lawmakers have taken notice, as an education oversight committee plans to take a look at the issue in the near future.
"If we can't get our act together, then maybe those of us who are holding up the process need to think about whether education is a priority for them,” says Gill.