Originally this petition was written from the perspective of a New Hanover County parent.  Since writing it, I have come to realize that there are far more single-track schools across the state than I realized.  Please share with everyone you know in North Carolina so our voices can be heard.

Original petition:

In the Senate budget proposal is a subsection defining year-round schools. The year-round schools program in New Hanover County Schools has been in place for 18 years and has never fit this definition. We fear that that if this definition is included in the final budget, our schools would be forced to revert to a traditional calendar with less than 2 months to adequately prepare. This would negatively impact the families of nearly 300 staff members and over 1,500 students and their families.

Year-round education helps to provide continuous learning. Students are less likely to forget what they've learned with shorter vacations and teachers have to spend less time reviewing.  Codington Elementary has a long tradition of high academic achievement with year round education being an important component.  Eaton Elementary, Sunset Park, and Lake Forest are also currently year round schools.  Snipes, Freeman, and Virgo are slated to begin year round schedules in the upcoming school year.  

The wording of this legislation needs to be changed immediately to include single-track schools!