1/2 day Wed for 2025-25 school year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A transparent handout to the teachers unions.

Nope. None of us wanted this.

[Anonymous]

Maybe not even showing up on these days is a win

[Anonymous]

Looks like the schools are offering early release care, so what's the problem?

If only parents knew how often teachers are absent from the classroom because of IEP meetings and other such nonsense.

They do need time during the week to plan and get stuff done.

[Anonymous]

Problem is there is also zero instruction on these days. Teachers can stay after school for an hour to plan for the next day. I see teachers in and out the same 7 hours the kids are in school. Add 30m for lunch and you have 1.5hrs every day to plan. That’s 7.5hrs a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Problem is there is also zero instruction on these days. Teachers can stay after school for an hour to plan for the next day. I see teachers in and out the same 7 hours the kids are in school. Add 30m for lunch and you have 1.5hrs every day to plan. That’s 7.5hrs a week.

I was a teacher. On Thursdays, I would stay around three hours and then go out to dinner with a colleague. I planned for the next week, prepared materials, etc. Lined up everything for each day. On the other days, I cleaned up after school, graded papers, made adjustments to lesson plans, etc. Then, I usually left within an hour after school was out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe this. Reid claims that Early Release Days mean better scores:

"During my Superintendent Matters report at a recent School Board meeting, I announced our plan to continue limited early release days and move them to Wednesdays for the 2025-26 school year. This decision follows a recommendation from the Early Release Steering Committee—which includes parents, caregivers, school-based staff, and central office staff—working in partnership with the Fairfax Association of Elementary School Principals (FAESP). The recommendation was based on the positive outcomes of this year’s limited early release Mondays.

For example, in grades K-3, we saw an 11 percentage point increase in students meeting reading benchmarks from fall to winter. In grades 3-6, multi-year trend data shows improved reading performance, with more students meeting or approaching grade-level expectations than in previous years. This progress is significant—and a clear indicator that this approach is working. This work matters!"

Gee. If Early Release Days yield such good results, why not just give the teachers a full day every week?

Why not just be honest?

This. Just be honest that the Mondays this year were for the 27 hr of training that every other district handled different and that has nothing to do with next year, but separately FCPS now wants to continue early releases, but don’t mislead and say a guided plan. To say keeping bc test scores improved is misleading—coming out of COVID the multi-year trend better be better! And just because 2 things happened doesn’t link them. There was shortage of teachers last year too and test scores went up. There is as much evidence to link teacher shortage to test scores as the early releases. Do what want to do, but don’t treat parents like idiots with spin statements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looks like the schools are offering early release care, so what's the problem?

If only parents knew how often teachers are absent from the classroom because of IEP meetings and other such nonsense.

They do need time during the week to plan and get stuff done.

How many SPED jobs could have been saved by not having to run buses twice for the early releases days? Anyone know cost of running buses twice? Agree with others that 4 full days off better than 1/2 days. Allow teachers full planning days if going to do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Problem is there is also zero instruction on these days. Teachers can stay after school for an hour to plan for the next day. I see teachers in and out the same 7 hours the kids are in school. Add 30m for lunch and you have 1.5hrs every day to plan. That’s 7.5hrs a week.

I take home over 3 hours of work A NIGHT. When you see me leave shortly after the students, that’s so I can pick up my own child and take her to therapy. I work while she’s there. I then go home, make dinner, and work an extra 2-3 hours. This is 5 days a week. I then work a full day on Saturdays.

So just because I’m leaving doesn’t mean I’m not working. You’re getting PLENTY of hours out of me, more than my own children get.

[Anonymous]

Then what does a half day every month do for you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Then what does a half day every month do for you? [/quote
What does it do? It gets teachers to get yelled at by upset parents while at the same time getting less $ next year as FCPS spends extra to run buses twice. Reid has set up a no win for teachers while she seeks to take credit for test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Then what does a half day every month do for you?

More time with my family.

[Anonymous]

WTAF
Is the rationale the state law?? Or just a basic giveaway to teachers under the guise of better scores?? Will this happen in perpetuity ??
How can she keep doing this?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A transparent handout to the teachers unions.

Nope. None of us wanted this.

The teachers probably didn’t, I can buy that. But something is driving this. And any time it’s less instructional hours for the same pay, it’s a union behind it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WTAF
Is the rationale the state law?? Or just a basic giveaway to teachers under the guise of better scores?? Will this happen in perpetuity ??
How can she keep doing this?!

Not state law. Reid says better test scores. There is zero linkage they 2 1/2 days in Sept and Oct of last year is reason for score improvement from fall to winter. Just say for teacher planning if want to say that but misleading to say anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A transparent handout to the teachers unions.

Nope. None of us wanted this.

The teachers probably didn’t, I can buy that. But something is driving this. And any time it’s less instructional hours for the same pay, it’s a union behind it.

Damn teachers union strikes again.