Spring break will end a couple of days early for Moore County public school students this year.

Superintendent Susan Purser told the Moore County Board of Education at its monthly meeting Monday that the remaining two school days missed because of snow would be made up April 16 and 17, the last two days of spring vacation that coincides with the Easter holiday.

"In completing those days, we will have made up [the required number of school days] -- barring any other inclement weather," Purser said. "This would enable the school year for both students and teachers to end as the calendar was formally adopted by board last year."

Students on the traditional calendar missed school Jan. 21 and 22 and March 2. Students made up one of those days Feb. 23, which was a designated teacher workday.

Teachers missed a workday Jan. 20, which was made up Jan. 22. Teachers made up the Feb. 23 workday after a delayed start March 2.

At the board's February meeting, Purser discussed making up one of the days on Memorial Day, May 25. However, she said then that she didn't want to finalize anything just in case another day was missed. Under the adopted plan, Memorial Day will not be affected -- unless more inclement weather forces schools to close.

Purser said she had been asked why the school system doesn't just tack on days at the end of the year. She reminded members of the audience that state law prohibits students from starting school before Aug. 25 and ending school after June 10.

The situation for year-round students is a little more complicated. Students missed four days because of winter weather -- Jan. 20, 21 and 22, and March 2. One day was made up Feb. 23. One day will be made up March 27, while the other two will be made up on April 16 and 17 -- the last two days of inter-session break.

While teachers missed only one workday Feb. 23, two workdays were made up Jan. 22 and March 2. Because March 27 is an unencumbered workday mandated by state law, teachers will be forced to make it up March 30.

Making up an additional workday allowed the school system to eliminate a scheduled workday June 11 and shift the June 12 unencumbered workday to that date, allowing year-round teachers to end their school year a day early.

Contact John Krahnert III at 693-2473 or by e-mail at jkrahnert@thepilot.com.