Why is the school year longer than the 2005-09 years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember when we had half days and people complained loudly about them because of childcare planning. Many parents said that it was easier to have kids out for a full day, rather than a half day. I distinctly remember those arguments.

Yes and this is why they are gone. It is because PARENTS complained.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren't they all 180 days?

It's not the number of school days but TOTAL days from the first to last day of school. Some more non-school days must been added that makes the length of the school year longer. School should be out by June 19 (I'd say June 21 but since schools are now off annually for Juneteenth might as well start summer then) and should not start earlier than the final week of August. It's TOO hot! If anything the camps need to be a week longer! The first week of August being the last week of camp is absurd!

It's a labor issue. College kids and foreign students head back to their campuses or home countries in August. Getting kids into summer camp the last three weeks of August around DC is actually really difficult - there's not a lot of availability. For example, the pricey HeadFirst camps loose staff and get booted from their private school campuses (St. Albans/NCS, St Pat's) by the end of 1st week of August.

DCPS is going to start school a week earlier beginning in 2028: https://dcps.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dcps/page_content/attachments/SY%2026-29%20Calendars_FINAL_English_042825.pdf

DCPS started two weeks before Labor Day for years, until Ferebee arrived. It was great and ensured school was done by June 15. August is a dead zone--get those kinds back in school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren't they all 180 days?

There aren’t really 180 days in a school year, at least not in DC. The city lets schools use some shady accounting so they can claim they’re following the law. Charters are especially bad. Some of their school years are really short.

Let me rephrase this for you...

The city agency responsible for ensuring schools meet the law (OSSE) has a waiver process that requires schools (including Charters) to submit their calendars each year. When they do so, OSSE may approve waivers to allow for a combination of full and partial days to meet their interpretation of the law. The policy for how they do this is recorded via the web link below.

https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/SY24-25%20OSSE%20Instructional%20Day%20Guidance_0.pdf

(This is my passive aggressive way of saying no one is breaking the law...stop insinuating such without any evidence whatsoever as you likely have no idea at all how schools are thinking about the balancing of labor demands, facilities needs (like shutting down the school to paint, repair, clean floors, school breaks, when to place PD days so that academic data is available to use during the PD, etc.)

It's annoying to me that every time a person doesn't agree with the way a Charter is doing their business that they are somehow breaking the law...no, they are just doing it in a way you wouldn't prefer...if you attend you should tell them that. If you don't, keep your nose out of it...they are required to show compliance to OSSE not an anonymous message board or armchair enforcement personnel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren't they all 180 days?

It's not the number of school days but TOTAL days from the first to last day of school. Some more non-school days must been added that makes the length of the school year longer. School should be out by June 19 (I'd say June 21 but since schools are now off annually for Juneteenth might as well start summer then) and should not start earlier than the final week of August. It's TOO hot! If anything the camps need to be a week longer! The first week of August being the last week of camp is absurd!

It's a labor issue. College kids and foreign students head back to their campuses or home countries in August. Getting kids into summer camp the last three weeks of August around DC is actually really difficult - there's not a lot of availability. For example, the pricey HeadFirst camps loose staff and get booted from their private school campuses (St. Albans/NCS, St Pat's) by the end of 1st week of August.

DCPS is going to start school a week earlier beginning in 2028: https://dcps.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dcps/page_content/attachments/SY%2026-29%20Calendars_FINAL_English_042825.pdf

DCPS started two weeks before Labor Day for years, until Ferebee arrived. It was great and ensured school was done by June 15. August is a dead zone--get those kinds back in school!

Yes. We already explained why. Fewer PD days and half days.

[Anonymous]

Feel free to advocate for 11 month school year so we can start in early August and have more breaks in between.

[Anonymous]

As explained above, it's all those f***ing PD days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren't they all 180 days?

It's not the number of school days but TOTAL days from the first to last day of school. Some more non-school days must been added that makes the length of the school year longer. School should be out by June 19 (I'd say June 21 but since schools are now off annually for Juneteenth might as well start summer then) and should not start earlier than the final week of August. It's TOO hot! If anything the camps need to be a week longer! The first week of August being the last week of camp is absurd!

It's a labor issue. College kids and foreign students head back to their campuses or home countries in August. Getting kids into summer camp the last three weeks of August around DC is actually really difficult - there's not a lot of availability. For example, the pricey HeadFirst camps loose staff and get booted from their private school campuses (St. Albans/NCS, St Pat's) by the end of 1st week of August.

DCPS is going to start school a week earlier beginning in 2028: https://dcps.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dcps/page_content/attachments/SY%2026-29%20Calendars_FINAL_English_042825.pdf

DCPS started two weeks before Labor Day for years, until Ferebee arrived. It was great and ensured school was done by June 15. August is a dead zone--get those kinds back in school!

This happened in 2009-11, 2015-18 so 7 of 10 years but not as long as it may seem. If school starts two weeks into August school should end the first FULL week of June.

Yes. We already explained why. Fewer PD days and half days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember when we had half days and people complained loudly about them because of childcare planning. Many parents said that it was easier to have kids out for a full day, rather than a half day. I distinctly remember those arguments.

Yes and this is why they are gone. It is because PARENTS complained.

Well they need to trim the 180 day requirement since they no longer do half days. Those 4 combo PD/records days push the start up and/or the end back since the 1/2 day students/1/2 records day counted towards 180 but the 1/2 PD/ 1/2 records doesn't. Add in another two PD days (went from 8 to 10) and an off day for everyone on election day and the year is extended by over a week.

[Anonymous]

A combination of items:
1/2 days of schools eliminated
Day before Thanksgiving added
I believe the new contract that was signed added in more PD days
New Federal Holiday

These small changes add in a week

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A combination of items:
1/2 days of schools eliminated
Day before Thanksgiving added
I believe the new contract that was signed added in more PD days
New Federal Holiday

These small changes add in a week

They used to close Good Friday and Easter Monday so that cancels out the Day before Thanksgiving and possibly even picks up a day. However the removal of half days but not total days and the additional PD days pushed things back a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren't they all 180 days?

It's not the number of school days but TOTAL days from the first to last day of school. Some more non-school days must been added that makes the length of the school year longer. School should be out by June 19 (I'd say June 21 but since schools are now off annually for Juneteenth might as well start summer then) and should not start earlier than the final week of August. It's TOO hot! If anything the camps need to be a week longer! The first week of August being the last week of camp is absurd!

It's a labor issue. College kids and foreign students head back to their campuses or home countries in August. Getting kids into summer camp the last three weeks of August around DC is actually really difficult - there's not a lot of availability. For example, the pricey HeadFirst camps loose staff and get booted from their private school campuses (St. Albans/NCS, St Pat's) by the end of 1st week of August.

DCPS is going to start school a week earlier beginning in 2028: https://dcps.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dcps/page_content/attachments/SY%2026-29%20Calendars_FINAL_English_042825.pdf

I'm guessing camps are now over.

[Anonymous]

At least you know when school is starting .... and ending

there were times when DCPS did not decide on school calendar until late spring - and then changed it over the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren't they all 180 days?

There aren’t really 180 days in a school year, at least not in DC. The city lets schools use some shady accounting so they can claim they’re following the law. Charters are especially bad. Some of their school years are really short.

Let me rephrase this for you...

The city agency responsible for ensuring schools meet the law (OSSE) has a waiver process that requires schools (including Charters) to submit their calendars each year. When they do so, OSSE may approve waivers to allow for a combination of full and partial days to meet their interpretation of the law. The policy for how they do this is recorded via the web link below.

https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/SY24-25%20OSSE%20Instructional%20Day%20Guidance_0.pdf

(This is my passive aggressive way of saying no one is breaking the law...stop insinuating such without any evidence whatsoever as you likely have no idea at all how schools are thinking about the balancing of labor demands, facilities needs (like shutting down the school to paint, repair, clean floors, school breaks, when to place PD days so that academic data is available to use during the PD, etc.)

It's annoying to me that every time a person doesn't agree with the way a Charter is doing their business that they are somehow breaking the law...no, they are just doing it in a way you wouldn't prefer...if you attend you should tell them that. If you don't, keep your nose out of it...they are required to show compliance to OSSE not an anonymous message board or armchair enforcement personnel.

Actually, charters have been known to break the law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren't they all 180 days?

It's not the number of school days but TOTAL days from the first to last day of school. Some more non-school days must been added that makes the length of the school year longer. School should be out by June 19 (I'd say June 21 but since schools are now off annually for Juneteenth might as well start summer then) and should not start earlier than the final week of August. It's TOO hot! If anything the camps need to be a week longer! The first week of August being the last week of camp is absurd!

It's a labor issue. College kids and foreign students head back to their campuses or home countries in August. Getting kids into summer camp the last three weeks of August around DC is actually really difficult - there's not a lot of availability. For example, the pricey HeadFirst camps loose staff and get booted from their private school campuses (St. Albans/NCS, St Pat's) by the end of 1st week of August.

DCPS is going to start school a week earlier beginning in 2028: https://dcps.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dcps/page_content/attachments/SY%2026-29%20Calendars_FINAL_English_042825.pdf

DCPS started two weeks before Labor Day for years, until Ferebee arrived. It was great and ensured school was done by June 15. August is a dead zone--get those kinds back in school!

The two longest non-year round school years are both on this site. DCPS and Fairfax County. If you are a teacher in DC the 2025-26 school year is Aug 18-June 18 (Aug 13-June 18 for new teachers). But I got some good news for DC this year as FCPS long school year is an EXTRA WEEK longer this year. New teachers started August 4, returning teachers tomorrow and they also end June 18!

[Anonymous]

I hate starting mid-August. It should start late August and go to early June.