Clay County Schools choose 2021-2022 school calendar

HAYESVILLE, NC – Clay County School Board approved option two for the 2021-2022 school calendar during the March meeting.

Option two aligns Spring Break 2022 with other school districts in the area including Cherokee, Graham, and Swain counties. It also falls on the week before Easter. The Friday, April 8 before Spring Break week will be included and Friday, April 15 will be listed as the Good Friday holiday.

The Fall Semester will be 81 days and the Spring Semester will be 97 days for a total of 178 student days. The reason for the shorter Fall Semester is so testing can be completed before the December holidays.

16 staff workdays, 10 annual leave days, and 11 holidays are included in the calendar.

The first day of school is scheduled for August 23, 2021.

The 2021 graduation plan was also approved for Friday, June 4 at 6 p.m. at the football field. The outdoor location will allow for more people to participate in the ceremony. If it rains on Friday, then Saturday will be the new date.

Budget Proposal

Clay County Schools plans to ask the county for $250,000 in additional funds for preventative and routine maintenance. The school district will need to present its budget plan to the county commission before approval. Capital outlay funds requests for 2021/2022 total $283,566 and include $52,800 for the old elementary school demo, $15,425 for a fire alarm system in the middle school gym, $18,557 to replace tiles in the kitchen and dining area, $93,094 for paving and grading the rock gym parking areas, and $103,690 for middle school gym floor replacement.

The reason for the increase in capital outlay projects from the county is the school system can’t receive state lottery funds for five years because of the new primary school. Clay County Schools is currently two years into the five.