The school year is more than 10 months for staff and 2025-26 is extra long for students-Must be shortened

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More days are actually needed. US is ranked lower compared to other countries that have shortened summer breaks. We actually should have two week breaks spread out more and shortened summer.

Shortened summer means very little camp, and more time in school during good weather while trading some of that for time off when not much else is happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

DP
I was curious and looked up the Ohio district I attended. They have 178 student days. Their winter break started on Friday Dec 22 and went through Tuesday January. 8 school days off. The first day of school was Wednesday, September 6 and their last day is Thursday, June 6.

I wonder how this is possible since Fairfax had their 11th day on their 1st day and there are still 4 days of school after their last day. Winter break there was 3 days shorter and their school year 2 days shorter so how are the other 9 days made up? Do they not have a spring break?

Based on how Christmas and January 1 fall the next few years it looks like they'll have 2 weeks the next 2 or 3 years as next year they would only have a 1 day week if they went back January 3 and the year after December 22 is a Monday.

Went back and looked again. They have one teacher workday during the school year and it is in October. Thanksgiving was W-F. Students are off 2 days for conferences. Spring break is three days, March 29-April 2.

Aha no full week off for FIVE months! How does anyone especially teachers and high school students SURVIVE that?

As far as I know nobody complains about that or the long summer break, but I have few ties to that area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't keep extending the Xmas break and adding days off for all kinds of things... and then also want to start later in the fall and get out earlier in June!

Either you need to shorten your breaks and reduce days off (which I 100% support), or you end up with what appears to be a longer school year (shorter summer break).

People made their picks for longer breaks, and the school board was happy to comply.

The winter break is 2 weeks in many places so that isn't the issue only the northeast seems to not have 2 weeks (except when Christmas is on Wednesday or Thursday and even then some districts will have a 2 day week) but outside the northeast the vast majority of districts are off 2 weeks. The issue isn't winter break it's the holidays where only 2% would be absent if school were held that prolongs things. It's better to bring this up now then in a year.

Well here we are a full year later and the 2025-26 calendar still hasn't been changed. All I know is that except for the people who love year round school next year is WAY TOO LONG! It's already a bit long now but August 18-June 17 for students and August 11-June 18 for teachers is WAY TOO LONG! Falls Church starts the same day but gets out 12 days (8 weekdays) earlier August 18-June 5!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In 2025-26 the student calendar is a full week longer starting on the 3rd Monday of August like 2023 and 2024 but ending on the 3rd Wednesday in June instead of the 2nd Wednesday like this year and next year. The school year is already a little long but that year will be awful unless the school year is shortened a week.
As for staff every recent year they start in the first half of August a week before students (new staff start nearly a week earlier) and still don't end until June 17 or 18! That allows little opportunity to work a summer program and go on a vacation.

The last day for teachers should be the day after students worst case that Friday they should not have to come in a day or two during a new week. As for new school year they should start a week later! As for the 2025-26 student calendar it appears to have the perfect storm of single day holiday closures and should be adjusted to only close on days where 10% or more of students would be out.

I mean school should really be all year except maybe three weeks in August for break. No excuse for it not being that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS still has 11 snow days built in. Kind of ridiculous. Cut a week off there.

They are counting the time that students are allowed in the building until the first bell rings, lunch, recess, and a bunch of other non-instructional time as part of their hours requirement to cover snow days. They have not added extra days to the calendar.

+1
People don’t seem to understand this. I don’t know if FCPS could do better with their messaging about the “built in” time or if it’s something else, but it always has to be explained

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I prefer the longer school year.

FCPS teacher here. I prefer the longer school year as well. We don't need more weeks off in the summer. (Actually, I'd really prefer a year round schedule with 9 weeks on and 3 weeks off.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the 2025-2026 calendar will be changed.

They are not going to shorten the school year. They would need to remove either the federal holidays or the new religious days or shorten the Winter Break and I don't see them doing any of that. The only one I potentially see them doing is removing the federal holidays. Losing the new religious holidays will cause a stink with the various religions and shortening winter break will piss off the people who take a month at that time of year to travel to Asia/SE Asia visit family and the parents who want two weeks in Europe or skiing.

If religious holiday must be kept as days off for all students, then schedule Teacher work days (professional development or planning days) on religious holidays and allow specific teachers to take off religious holiday on Teacher workdays if relevant to their religion.

-Teacher

Teacher here. I agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I prefer the longer school year.

FCPS teacher here. I prefer the longer school year as well. We don't need more weeks off in the summer. (Actually, I'd really prefer a year round schedule with 9 weeks on and 3 weeks off.)

You’re in the minority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You aren’t going to change this. Here are your options.

1. Private school.
2. Take your kid out whenever you want and call it in as an appointment so it’s excused. Have them make up the work.
3. Same but don’t lie and it will be unexcused. Depending on the school you will have to go to attendance meetings or get threatened about it. They should still make up the work.

Lying is clearly the most beneficial option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I prefer the longer school year.

FCPS teacher here. I prefer the longer school year as well. We don't need more weeks off in the summer. (Actually, I'd really prefer a year round schedule with 9 weeks on and 3 weeks off.)

You’re in the minority.

+1

Two Teachers

[Anonymous]

You're absolutely right, we should reduce winter break by one week and have a shorter spring break, children do not need "good friday" or whatever it's called off, nobody even knows what that is. So dumb to have holidays related to religions. Especially when in 50 years that religion won't even be the majority in this country anymore, thank goodness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I prefer the longer school year.

FCPS teacher here. I prefer the longer school year as well. We don't need more weeks off in the summer. (Actually, I'd really prefer a year round schedule with 9 weeks on and 3 weeks off.)

You’re in the minority.

I don’t know, this came up in our high school work room today—we all agreed it would be nice to have 9 weeks on, 3 weeks off, with a work day at the end of each quarter for grades and the few other major holidays that would have attendance impacts (thanksgiving). Summer could be 4 or 5 weeks—that’s enough.

The only voice of dissent was from someone who just inherited a beach house and is excited to spend long summers in it going forward, lol

[Anonymous]

Might as well go year round. Must be omitting a Pagan holiday or two in the calendar now. Oh the inequity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I prefer the longer school year.

FCPS teacher here. I prefer the longer school year as well. We don't need more weeks off in the summer. (Actually, I'd really prefer a year round schedule with 9 weeks on and 3 weeks off.)

You’re in the minority.

I don’t know, this came up in our high school work room today—we all agreed it would be nice to have 9 weeks on, 3 weeks off, with a work day at the end of each quarter for grades and the few other major holidays that would have attendance impacts (thanksgiving). Summer could be 4 or 5 weeks—that’s enough.

The only voice of dissent was from someone who just inherited a beach house and is excited to spend long summers in it going forward, lol

I like the longer summers, but would like them to add a TW day before the end of the 4th quarter when grades are due.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I prefer the longer school year.

FCPS teacher here. I prefer the longer school year as well. We don't need more weeks off in the summer. (Actually, I'd really prefer a year round schedule with 9 weeks on and 3 weeks off.)

You’re in the minority.

I don’t know, this came up in our high school work room today—we all agreed it would be nice to have 9 weeks on, 3 weeks off, with a work day at the end of each quarter for grades and the few other major holidays that would have attendance impacts (thanksgiving). Summer could be 4 or 5 weeks—that’s enough.

The only voice of dissent was from someone who just inherited a beach house and is excited to spend long summers in it going forward, lol

How would kids take "summer classes" either to catch up or get ahead?