Melanie Meren's FB post about the calendar

[Anonymous]

Melanie Meren just posted this on Facebook:

The School Board has heard from many families regarding the lack of full, five-day school weeks this year and the significant burden this places on families who must navigate complex and often costly childcare arrangements. In the 2025-26 school year alone, partial weeks occurred more than half the time, functioning as an informal “childcare tax” that falls hardest on our hourly-wage and most vulnerable households.
To address these challenges, I am collaborating on a new draft policy to be circulated among my School Board colleagues that aims to consolidate overlapping directives into a single, unified framework. A primary goal is to prioritize five-day school weeks as the default standard to restore instructional continuity and provide families with stability they need.
Another goal is to clarify the Superintendent’s responsibilities in developing the student calendar while ensuring the School Board reviews and approves it as part of our annual work cycle.
My goal is to have the calendar beginning in SY 26-27 adjusted to increase the number of five-day school weeks.
I’ll keep the community updated as work proceeds.
Sincerely,
Melanie

So, reach out to your Board and have your opinions heard! Don't wait for some dumb and poorly designed survey to land in your spam folder.

[Anonymous]

Oh yippee. She's "designing a framework." Because spending taxpayer funding on that sort of thing always works out so well for Fairfax County families.

[Anonymous]

I am shocked they actually care what families think.

When was the last full week of school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh yippee. She's "designing a framework." Because spending taxpayer funding on that sort of thing always works out so well for Fairfax County families.

So your elected official is acknowledging that constituents have an issue and is proposing a solution that cannot be resolved overnight. And you just want to keep complaining. Got it.

[Anonymous]

Here's the thing: if they create more 5-day school weeks the school year will start later and/or end sooner. Either scenario is fine with me, but childcare will be needed when school is not in session. That's the financial side of things. And with the amount of advanced notice families have had to get childcare lined up - calendars published years in advance - only emergencies and snow days are not known ahead of time for planning.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, love the non-5 day weeks. They are great. Summer is such a pain to plan, and we (and most of our friends) much prefer a day here and there, rather than additional weeks in the summer.

[Anonymous]

I can’t stand her and believe anything she touches will turn to s***.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, love the non-5 day weeks. They are great. Summer is such a pain to plan, and we (and most of our friends) much prefer a day here and there, rather than additional weeks in the summer.

You are a 2-parent working household with kids in early elementary with that take?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, love the non-5 day weeks. They are great. Summer is such a pain to plan, and we (and most of our friends) much prefer a day here and there, rather than additional weeks in the summer.

But they are not great for consistent instruction. You know, the purpose of schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, love the non-5 day weeks. They are great. Summer is such a pain to plan, and we (and most of our friends) much prefer a day here and there, rather than additional weeks in the summer.

There's a difference between "a day here and there" and MOST weeks.

[Anonymous]

Wow, common sense might actually return.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's the thing: if they create more 5-day school weeks the school year will start later and/or end sooner. Either scenario is fine with me, but childcare will be needed when school is not in session. That's the financial side of things. And with the amount of advanced notice families have had to get childcare lined up - calendars published years in advance - only emergencies and snow days are not known ahead of time for planning.

Please, it's a lot easier to figure out childcare for full weeks of summer vs random days scattered throughout the year.

[Anonymous]

I'm so glad someone finally mentioned vulnerable populations. So many early elementary kids are just home alone on those days off. Whereas in the summer, there are free or reduced priced camps they can attend.

Can we also get rid of half days?

[Anonymous]

The first reply to her post was to disagree so you need to be reaching out if you agree that we need a better calendar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the thing: if they create more 5-day school weeks the school year will start later and/or end sooner. Either scenario is fine with me, but childcare will be needed when school is not in session. That's the financial side of things. And with the amount of advanced notice families have had to get childcare lined up - calendars published years in advance - only emergencies and snow days are not known ahead of time for planning.

Please, it's a lot easier to figure out childcare for full weeks of summer vs random days scattered throughout the year.

This. Much easier.