Wake school board wants to make snow days easier to plan, predict

After a series of snow days that cut into spring break 2015, the Wake County Board of Education is looking for a way to make calendar planning more transparent for parents.

Posted 7:11 p.m. Apr 21, 2015 — Updated 8:09 p.m. Apr 21, 2015

CARY, N.C. — After a series of snow days that cut into spring break 2015, the Wake County Board of Education is looking for a way to make calendar planning more transparent for parents.

At their work session Tuesday afternoon, board members discussed publishing a calendar that would more clearly label days, including weekends, that could be used as inclement weather makeup days. The calendar would list, in order, the days that could be used, and school holidays would be used only as a last resort.

A draft circulated at the meeting lists a possible 21 days during the 2015-16 traditional calendar school year that could be used to meet the mandated 1,025 hours of instructional time.

School system leaders came under fire this spring when, after eight days when buses could not roll due to snow, they scheduled makeup days during the week beginning Monday, March 23. By the time those makeup days were announced, many families, including those of teachers and staff, had made non-refundable plans for the week they were told would be the school system's spring break.

Board members said Tuesday that they want to improve communication with the public and publish a calendar that makes the make-up day process more transparent.

A vote on the final calendar is expected next month.

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