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SB 68

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2026 Regular Session Introduced by Shelli Yoder

Pitt and Edgecombe counties gain a 3-year pilot to set school start/end dates outside the usual calendar, with public hearings and DPI reports on impacts and future options.

First reading: referred to Committee on Education and Career Development
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Bill Summary · SB 68

SB 68 — School Calendar Flexibility for Pitt County and Edgecombe County Schools

Status: Passed 1st Reading (introduced 2025)
Subjects: Education; Local boards; School calendar; Reports; Pitt County; Edgecombe County

Main purpose

SB 68 authorizes a limited, three‑year pilot giving the local boards of education in Pitt County and Edgecombe County additional authority to set their school opening and closing dates (i.e., adopt a school calendar) outside the constraints of the State’s usual calendar restriction in G.S. 115C‑84.2(d), while still complying with the baseline statutory requirements (G.S. 115C‑84.2(a)(1)) for instructional time.

Key provisions

  • Calendar authority: Temporarily (three school years) permits the local board of education in each named county to determine its district’s opening and closing dates notwithstanding G.S. 115C‑84.2(d), so long as the dates meet the minimum instructional requirements in G.S. 115C‑84.2(a)(1).
  • Public‑input process: Before selecting dates, the board must:
    • Hold a public hearing on whether to depart from the statutory calendar requirement; and
    • If the board decides to depart, hold an additional public hearing to gather parent and community input on the specific opening/closing dates before adopting them.
  • Reporting requirement: By October 15, 2025, both the Pitt County and Edgecombe County Boards of Education must report to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) on implementation of the pilot. Reports must include:
    • Any observed effects on student achievement, and
    • Recommendations on whether to modify, continue, or expand the calendar flexibility. DPI must forward the reports to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by November 1, 2025.
  • Duration and applicability: The act applies only to Pitt County Schools and Edgecombe County Schools for the 2025–2026, 2026–2027, and 2027–2028 school years.

Who is affected

  • Directly: Pitt County Schools and Edgecombe County Schools (local boards, students, teachers, staff, families).
  • Indirectly: County employers, child-care providers, interdistrict programs, athletic leagues, and any agencies that coordinate calendars (transportation, after‑school programs).
  • State oversight: Department of Public Instruction and the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee (via required reporting).

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Local control: Gives the two districts flexibility to tailor calendars to local needs (e.g., weather, agriculture schedules, teacher professional learning, student performance windows).
  • Operational effects: Changes may affect transportation, childcare, extracurricular schedules, teacher contracts, alignments with state assessments, and coordination with neighboring districts.
  • Evaluation built in: The required report is intended to inform whether the pilot produced measurable benefits or problems and whether calendar flexibility should be expanded or adjusted.

Procedural/Timeline notes

  • Effective date: The bill takes effect upon becoming law.
  • Pilot school years: 2025–26 through 2027–28.
  • Reporting deadlines: Local boards → DPI by Oct 15, 2025; DPI → Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by Nov 1, 2025.

For stakeholders in Pitt or Edgecombe counties: the law requires public hearings before any departure and an evaluation period with mandated reporting — so community input and documented outcomes will shape future policy decisions.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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