Will voting out the school board make the school calendar sane again?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, bottom line, as another person put it, is that this isn't about the calendar or about the lack of available childcare options, or about kids' education being jeopardized or about summer being too short. This is about the school board makeup not being what they want it to be, or "too woke," as they put it. I, for one, am glad that the current school board is considerate of all Fairfax County populations. I want my kid to grow up knowing that being kind is a good thing. It's not a weakness, and this is not a zero sum game. We can all benefit, but we all have to compromise.

Sorry to burst this bubble but its absolutely about the lack of good options for childcare for this many days off, made worse by the profound disrespect demonstrated by spending parents time and money for them, like every FCPS parent can (or should!) swan out of work at 4pm and fork over $200/per day just to make sure the schools we are already paying for are empty.

I should add— the furlough has highlighted this for many parents. I have friends who have forked over $1000 since the shutdown began to cover childcare costs related to school closures for things like Diwali and todays early dismissal. Meanwhile they're working unpaid. Incredibly out of touch for FCPS, and people will remember it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, bottom line, as another person put it, is that this isn't about the calendar or about the lack of available childcare options, or about kids' education being jeopardized or about summer being too short. This is about the school board makeup not being what they want it to be, or "too woke," as they put it. I, for one, am glad that the current school board is considerate of all Fairfax County populations. I want my kid to grow up knowing that being kind is a good thing. It's not a weakness, and this is not a zero sum game. We can all benefit, but we all have to compromise.

Sorry to burst this bubble but its absolutely about the lack of good options for childcare for this many days off, made worse by the profound disrespect demonstrated by spending parents time and money for them, like every FCPS parent can (or should!) swan out of work at 4pm and fork over $200/per day just to make sure the schools we are already paying for are empty.

Why are you on this discussion board and not working right now?

Because I’m using my lunch to be on hold with our health insurance, thanks for asking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not about the calendar. Complaining about the school calendar seems “non-political” on the surface, but it provides a way to voice broader discontent with the school board’s values or priorities. It’s easier to rally people around something tangible, like too many days off, than around abstract policy disagreements.

That's why this discussion will never end. Concerns about childcare challenges (despite many available solutions), the impact on student learning (FCPS consistently ranks among the top school systems in the country), or the length of summer break (too short for what, exactly?) will never be satisfied. Because it's not about the calendar. It’s a means to rally support for a different school board.

So just say what you mean so that we can have a proper discussion.

Oh yes? Share the “many” taxpayer funded, age and developmentally appropriate childcare options available for one-off days.

There are actually quite a few options, though availability can vary by age and location. Many of them were posted earlier in the thread. For one-off school holidays, families often use:

Fairfax County Park Authority “Schools Out” day camps at local recreation centers, which run 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. for elementary-aged children. These taxpayer-funded through the county’s park system

Local RECenter programs and YMCA camps that offer day programs aligned with FCPS holidays. RECenters are county-operated facilities funded by taxes, though some program fees may apply.

Private enrichment programs like Mad Science, Bricks 4 Kidz, ArtSpace, and STEM or sports camps that run single-day sessions.

School- or PTA-organized programs at some elementary schools for early release or teacher workdays.

These are all taxpayer-supported or community-based programs designed to be age-appropriate and structured, and many families in Fairfax use them regularly for occasional school closures. Hope they help you manage the one-off school closures like they've helped me.

None of what you've listed provides transportation, support for children with special needs, or before/aftercare. Fairfax expects September birthdays to start kindergarten at four which most Rec center classes don’t accept, so early days off like 9/9 are just SOL.

Yes— there are plenty of options for parents who have unlimited money and time. If FCPS wants to underscore their commitment to being a school district out of touch with those constituents that do not, they will continue as they are.

There are some options with sliding fees or scholarships for low-income families, and some schools or PTAs run parent co-ops or volunteer-led programs to help fill gaps. It’s not a complete solution, but it shows there are ways to get support without unlimited money. Reach out to some of the other working parents in your neighborhood. I'll bet they're running into some of the same challenges and would be willing to together come up with some solutions like a shared high school babysitter or taking turns with a group of kids so that you're all sharing the load. This is what our family does with other parents in our neighborhood and adjacent neighborhoods. It takes some coordination over group texts, but it's a huge help to everyone.

Lol we do in fact have a solution in our neighborhood group chat— its calling our elected officials on the school board and making clear our votes hinge on sane calendars. Parents should not be crowd sourcing solutions to “where should my six year old be on a weekday” the answer is their publicly funded school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, bottom line, as another person put it, is that this isn't about the calendar or about the lack of available childcare options, or about kids' education being jeopardized or about summer being too short. This is about the school board makeup not being what they want it to be, or "too woke," as they put it. I, for one, am glad that the current school board is considerate of all Fairfax County populations. I want my kid to grow up knowing that being kind is a good thing. It's not a weakness, and this is not a zero sum game. We can all benefit, but we all have to compromise.

Sorry to burst this bubble but its absolutely about the lack of good options for childcare for this many days off, made worse by the profound disrespect demonstrated by spending parents time and money for them, like every FCPS parent can (or should!) swan out of work at 4pm and fork over $200/per day just to make sure the schools we are already paying for are empty.

I should add— the furlough has highlighted this for many parents. I have friends who have forked over $1000 since the shutdown began to cover childcare costs related to school closures for things like Diwali and todays early dismissal. Meanwhile they're working unpaid. Incredibly out of touch for FCPS, and people will remember it.

+1 retired teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not about the calendar. Complaining about the school calendar seems “non-political” on the surface, but it provides a way to voice broader discontent with the school board’s values or priorities. It’s easier to rally people around something tangible, like too many days off, than around abstract policy disagreements.

That's why this discussion will never end. Concerns about childcare challenges (despite many available solutions), the impact on student learning (FCPS consistently ranks among the top school systems in the country), or the length of summer break (too short for what, exactly?) will never be satisfied. Because it's not about the calendar. It’s a means to rally support for a different school board.

So just say what you mean so that we can have a proper discussion.

Oh yes? Share the “many” taxpayer funded, age and developmentally appropriate childcare options available for one-off days.

There are actually quite a few options, though availability can vary by age and location. Many of them were posted earlier in the thread. For one-off school holidays, families often use:

Fairfax County Park Authority “Schools Out” day camps at local recreation centers, which run 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. for elementary-aged children. These taxpayer-funded through the county’s park system

Local RECenter programs and YMCA camps that offer day programs aligned with FCPS holidays. RECenters are county-operated facilities funded by taxes, though some program fees may apply.

Private enrichment programs like Mad Science, Bricks 4 Kidz, ArtSpace, and STEM or sports camps that run single-day sessions.

School- or PTA-organized programs at some elementary schools for early release or teacher workdays.

These are all taxpayer-supported or community-based programs designed to be age-appropriate and structured, and many families in Fairfax use them regularly for occasional school closures. Hope they help you manage the one-off school closures like they've helped me.

None of what you've listed provides transportation, support for children with special needs, or before/aftercare. Fairfax expects September birthdays to start kindergarten at four which most Rec center classes don’t accept, so early days off like 9/9 are just SOL.

Yes— there are plenty of options for parents who have unlimited money and time. If FCPS wants to underscore their commitment to being a school district out of touch with those constituents that do not, they will continue as they are.

It’s not FCPS responsibility to fit school into your schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, bottom line, as another person put it, is that this isn't about the calendar or about the lack of available childcare options, or about kids' education being jeopardized or about summer being too short. This is about the school board makeup not being what they want it to be, or "too woke," as they put it. I, for one, am glad that the current school board is considerate of all Fairfax County populations. I want my kid to grow up knowing that being kind is a good thing. It's not a weakness, and this is not a zero sum game. We can all benefit, but we all have to compromise.

Sorry to burst this bubble but its absolutely about the lack of good options for childcare for this many days off, made worse by the profound disrespect demonstrated by spending parents time and money for them, like every FCPS parent can (or should!) swan out of work at 4pm and fork over $200/per day just to make sure the schools we are already paying for are empty.

Why are you on this discussion board and not working right now?

Because I’m using my lunch to be on hold with our health insurance, thanks for asking.

You don’t need to justify your right to be on DCUM during the day when clearly the PP is also on DCUM during the day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, bottom line, as another person put it, is that this isn't about the calendar or about the lack of available childcare options, or about kids' education being jeopardized or about summer being too short. This is about the school board makeup not being what they want it to be, or "too woke," as they put it. I, for one, am glad that the current school board is considerate of all Fairfax County populations. I want my kid to grow up knowing that being kind is a good thing. It's not a weakness, and this is not a zero sum game. We can all benefit, but we all have to compromise.

Sorry to burst this bubble but its absolutely about the lack of good options for childcare for this many days off, made worse by the profound disrespect demonstrated by spending parents time and money for them, like every FCPS parent can (or should!) swan out of work at 4pm and fork over $200/per day just to make sure the schools we are already paying for are empty.

Why are you on this discussion board and not working right now?

Because I’m using my lunch to be on hold with our health insurance, thanks for asking.

bahahahaha!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, bottom line, as another person put it, is that this isn't about the calendar or about the lack of available childcare options, or about kids' education being jeopardized or about summer being too short. This is about the school board makeup not being what they want it to be, or "too woke," as they put it. I, for one, am glad that the current school board is considerate of all Fairfax County populations. I want my kid to grow up knowing that being kind is a good thing. It's not a weakness, and this is not a zero sum game. We can all benefit, but we all have to compromise.

Sorry to burst this bubble but its absolutely about the lack of good options for childcare for this many days off, made worse by the profound disrespect demonstrated by spending parents time and money for them, like every FCPS parent can (or should!) swan out of work at 4pm and fork over $200/per day just to make sure the schools we are already paying for are empty.

I should add— the furlough has highlighted this for many parents. I have friends who have forked over $1000 since the shutdown began to cover childcare costs related to school closures for things like Diwali and todays early dismissal. Meanwhile they're working unpaid. Incredibly out of touch for FCPS, and people will remember it.

Oh geez, that is the risk of a government job. Teachers get 2nd jobs, so can these people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please tell me how to vote to get any improvement to this horrific school calendar that is a complete atrocity to working families and disservice too kids trying to learn. I don’t care if I have to vote blue, red or purple - it just needs to change for next year.

Call and complain, threaten to vote for the republican candidates, but don't actually do it, unless that is you want your kids to be taught creationism by a bunch of book burners. I'm just saying I never met a republican who was a friend of education. I mean maybe they'll do away with the non christian religious holidays, but they won't be doing it on separation of church and state, which is a legitmate reason to ax all of the religious holidays, except Xmas, that's a federal holiday, rather you'll have religious fundamentalists crawling up your backside and further dumbing down the schools, even further.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, bottom line, as another person put it, is that this isn't about the calendar or about the lack of available childcare options, or about kids' education being jeopardized or about summer being too short. This is about the school board makeup not being what they want it to be, or "too woke," as they put it. I, for one, am glad that the current school board is considerate of all Fairfax County populations. I want my kid to grow up knowing that being kind is a good thing. It's not a weakness, and this is not a zero sum game. We can all benefit, but we all have to compromise.

Sorry to burst this bubble but its absolutely about the lack of good options for childcare for this many days off, made worse by the profound disrespect demonstrated by spending parents time and money for them, like every FCPS parent can (or should!) swan out of work at 4pm and fork over $200/per day just to make sure the schools we are already paying for are empty.

I should add— the furlough has highlighted this for many parents. I have friends who have forked over $1000 since the shutdown began to cover childcare costs related to school closures for things like Diwali and todays early dismissal. Meanwhile they're working unpaid. Incredibly out of touch for FCPS, and people will remember it.

Oh geez, that is the risk of a government job. Teachers get 2nd jobs, so can these people.

I guess you are the same person accusing people of being racist on the other threads. It is pretty obvious that you are slamming everyone on every thread.

[Anonymous]

There are 29 school holidays this year. Which of these do you propose be removed?

2 - Labor Day
1 - Rosh Hashanah
1 - Yom Kippur
1 - Diwali
1 - Veterans Day
3 - Thanksgiving
1 - Christmas
1 - New Year's Day
8 - Winter Break
1 - MLK Day
1 - Presidents' Day
1 - Eid al Fitr
5 - Holy Week; Spring Break
1 - Memorial Day
1 - Eid al Adha

The other 10 days off are teacher work days, staff development days, and school planning days. Those aren't going away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, bottom line, as another person put it, is that this isn't about the calendar or about the lack of available childcare options, or about kids' education being jeopardized or about summer being too short. This is about the school board makeup not being what they want it to be, or "too woke," as they put it. I, for one, am glad that the current school board is considerate of all Fairfax County populations. I want my kid to grow up knowing that being kind is a good thing. It's not a weakness, and this is not a zero sum game. We can all benefit, but we all have to compromise.

Sorry to burst this bubble but its absolutely about the lack of good options for childcare for this many days off, made worse by the profound disrespect demonstrated by spending parents time and money for them, like every FCPS parent can (or should!) swan out of work at 4pm and fork over $200/per day just to make sure the schools we are already paying for are empty.

So you deserve it because you pay for it? So does half the population that doesn’t have kids in K-12.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Create your own calendar. What do you remove (25/26 version)? Italicized are federal holidays (plus the two embedded in Winter Break). Total of 39 days.

Labor Day (x2) - dictated by law, unable to be removed
Sept. 9th - special election, teacher workday
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Columbus/Indigenous - staff development
Diwali
Nov. 3 - School planning day (end of Q1)
Nov. 4 - Election and teacher workday (end of Q1)
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving (x3)
Winter Break (x10)
MLK day
Jan. 29 - Staff Development (end of Q2)
Jan. 30 - Teacher Workday (end of Q2)
President's Day
Lunar New Year - Teacher Workday
Eid al-Fitr
Spring Break (x5)
Apr. 6 - Teacher Workday (end of Q3)
Orthodox Good Friday - School Planning Day
Memorial Day
May. 26 - Teacher Workday
May. 27 - Eid al-Adha

Off the top of my head? The day before Election Day, Veterans Day (historically HAS been a school day in FCPS), Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Lunar New Year (sorry, hard to justify as this isn’t even a religious holiday), and whatever hot mess they have going on at the end of the school year with Memorial Day leading into Eid - maybe make it known that there will be a larger number of absences that day that may affect staffing. That’s 5 days, a whole school week right there. We could be getting out June 10th instead of the 17th.

Winter break is hard this year because of when Christmas falls (and new years, a week later). But in 2027, Christmas will be on a Saturday. And they should be in school Monday-Wednesday before Christmas and then go back Monday 1/3.

Also, the Special Election Day. With early voting, not nearly as many people at the polls. We were in and out in five minutes --maybe five other voters there at the time--and our precinct has strong voting.

That just canceled one day of school-went from 180 days to 179. Although snow days aren't usually given back if not used, they should make the exception this year. End the year by June 10th if not June 5th.

They are counting hours. I don’t think they can just lop a week or two off the end of the student calendar, although they seem to be able to do it at the HS level every year.

It depends on how many hours they will have as of a certain date after winter is over (ex. hours as of June 5th or 10th). I'm not asking for this every year just in a crazy year like this year. Here is a calendar that started the same date as FCPS and ends THREE weeks sooner. https://content.myconnectsuite.com/api/documents/fae640107bb948e59c1ffc043c580e4e

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought they sent an email out this year saying they were going to revisit the calendars?

Really?? With the implication being that they now understand there is a desire on the part of many to return to sanity? (Well, except for, apparently, on the part of the trollish moms on here whose kids are in their 30s now.)

Btw, they could have foreseen the chaos if they actually asked people if this is what they want.

"Please give me a swiss cheese calendar that makes it difficult to predict what is happening week to week, sets my child up for failure, and lengthens the school year for all so that everyone is undeniably exhausted by the end." --No one.

Are you new? They sent out a comprehensive survey a few years ago before they added all these holidays. They even shared the results.

Yes, I remember that survey and taking part in it. I thought it was great that they involved the community in making these decisions.

People are short sighted and they want everything. 2 full weeks at Christmas! Every religious holiday and Federal holiday! The day before Thanksgiving! An extra day or two at Spring Break! And then they’re shocked that the calendar is a disjointed hot mess and summer is 8 weeks long.

Do people actually want every religious and federal holiday?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please tell me how to vote to get any improvement to this horrific school calendar that is a complete atrocity to working families and disservice too kids trying to learn. I don’t care if I have to vote blue, red or purple - it just needs to change for next year.

Call and complain, threaten to vote for the republican candidates, but don't actually do it, unless that is you want your kids to be taught creationism by a bunch of book burners. I'm just saying I never met a republican who was a friend of education. I mean maybe they'll do away with the non christian religious holidays, but they won't be doing it on separation of church and state, which is a legitmate reason to ax all of the religious holidays, except Xmas, that's a federal holiday, rather you'll have religious fundamentalists crawling up your backside and further dumbing down the schools, even further.

I feel bad for how much hate you have for people you don't know.