WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

SB 890

Changing certain school calendar requirements from days or months to hours

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Kevan Bartlett and 4 co-sponsors

Shift WV public schools from 180 instructional days to a minimum of 900 instructional hours, with hour-based terms for staff and aligned private schools.

Chapter 119, Acts, Regular Session, 2026
#education(k12)
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 890

Overview

Senate Bill 890 (SB 890) from the 2026 West Virginia regular session seeks to reform school calendar rules by replacing the current minimums based on instructional days (180 days) with a combined minimum of instructional hours (900 hours). The measure also adjusts related employment term definitions, allows clarifying state board rules, and introduces related provisions for nonpublic schools and Teachers' Retirement System calculations.

Main purpose and intent

  • Central goal: Shift West Virginia’s public school calendar from a days-based framework to an hours-based framework, establishing a minimum of 900 instructional hours instead of 180 instructional days.
  • Align employment terms with hours rather than days for school staff, and provide flexibility to address emergencies, inclement weather, and unforeseen circumstances.
  • Ensure governance and implementation clarity through state board rules and potential carrier changes for teachers and staff.

Key provisions and changes

  • §18-5-45 (School calendar)

    • Defines “Instructional day hour” with per-grade-day-minute requirements (315 minutes for K-5, 330 for 6-8, 345 for 9-12; includes cocurricular time).
    • Establishes 900 hours as the instructional-time minimum within the instructional term.
    • Allows counties to lengthen daily instructional time (by at least 30 minutes per day) to achieve the 900-hour target within the school calendar.
    • Permits up to five days or equivalent time to cancel days lost due to closures; permits up to five additional days for educator-focused instructional improvement activities (exclusive of students) and additional time to offset late arrivals/early dismissals.
    • Authorizes delivering instruction through alternative methods on up to five days/25 hours for inclement weather or unforeseen circumstances, subject to State Board approval.
    • Clarifies that equivalent time gained by longer days and alternative-method instruction counts toward both instructional hours and employment terms.
    • Provides up to 25 hours (equivalent) of educator-focused time outside student instructional hours, counted as employment hours.
    • Outlines noninstructional days totaling 160 hours (various categories: holidays, election day, designated preparation days, etc.) and specifies blocks of time for meetings and professional activities.
    • Requires counties to obtain State Board approval for calendars and to hold public meetings for calendar development.
    • Allows waivers and rulemaking by the State Board to implement and refine the new framework.

  • §18-7A-3 (Teachers' Retirement System) and related definitions

    • Updates certain definitions (employment term, etc.) to be consistent with the hour-based calendar changes.

  • §18A-4-8 and §18A-4-10 (Salaries, benefits, and personal leave)

    • Re-aligns employment-term calculations (hours-based) and personal leave accruals to reflect an eight-hour workday baseline for gains and usage.
    • Retains annual personal leave provisions, with accrual and leave-bank rules.

  • §18-28-2 (Private, parochial, or church schools)

    • Establishes that private schools must meet a 900-hour instructional minimum and may count up to 25 hours via alternative methods when schools are closed.

Who would be affected

  • Public school districts and county boards of education (calendar development, instruction time planning, and associated funding and waiver processes).
  • School employees and administrators (employment terms, personal leave calculations, preparation days, and professional development time).
  • The State Department of Education and State Board (rulemaking, calendar approval, and oversight).
  • Nonpublic schools (private, parochial, and church schools) by aligning their requirements with the same 900-hour framework (with up to 25 hours via alternative methods).

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Requires State Board rulemaking to implement and potentially clarify requirements.
  • Calendar changes would be subject to county board approval and public process (public meetings and notices).
  • The bill’s provisions are designed to be implemented within the 2026-2027 school year timeline, with Governorial action noted in the history (Governor’s sign and effective date linked to the enacted version; several actions indicate phased implementation around July 1, 2027 in prior readings, subject to final enacted text).

Note: The enrolled version reflects the final legislative text as of passage, including cross-references to the Teachers' Retirement System and broader calendar provisions.

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

Sign in to ask a question.