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

[Anonymous]

Following the last post, the # of days off during the school year for this year and the next two years:

'25/'26: 39
'26/'27: 34
'27/'28: 34

[Anonymous]

Yes, next school year’s calendar does seem better - we start about a full week later on 8/24 but we still get out mid June (6/17). I feel like starting later is better for summer travel and the all important ( ) summer pool season. But getting out earlier is better for education and having less wasted time at the end of the school year. So I do wonder why they didn’t try to start the 26-27 SY on 8/17 and get out 6/10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, next school year’s calendar does seem better - we start about a full week later on 8/24 but we still get out mid June (6/17). I feel like starting later is better for summer travel and the all important ( ) summer pool season. But getting out earlier is better for education and having less wasted time at the end of the school year. So I do wonder why they didn’t try to start the 26-27 SY on 8/17 and get out 6/10.

How about we start after Labor Day and get out in early June like we used to?

[Anonymous]

Aren't there already school districts in VA that have normal schedules, with full weeks, less half days and an earlier summer break? I hear Loudon isn't as bad. Why has the discussion here turned into a how-to fix the calendar debate? We wouldn't have to reinvent the calendar from scratch. We could copy it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, next school year’s calendar does seem better - we start about a full week later on 8/24 but we still get out mid June (6/17). I feel like starting later is better for summer travel and the all important ( ) summer pool season. But getting out earlier is better for education and having less wasted time at the end of the school year. So I do wonder why they didn’t try to start the 26-27 SY on 8/17 and get out 6/10.

How about we start after Labor Day and get out in early June like we used to?

FCPS teacher here. I started in 2011 when we started after Labor Day. We were in school through 3rd week of June. I know because my birthday is then. My fourth year teaching the 21st was the last day of 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.

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

And it’s a waste of their tax dollars too. Unless you think the population without children has a ton of extra money to spend on FCPS wastefulness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, next school year’s calendar does seem better - we start about a full week later on 8/24 but we still get out mid June (6/17). I feel like starting later is better for summer travel and the all important ( ) summer pool season. But getting out earlier is better for education and having less wasted time at the end of the school year. So I do wonder why they didn’t try to start the 26-27 SY on 8/17 and get out 6/10.

How about we start after Labor Day and get out in early June like we used to?

FCPS teacher here. I started in 2011 when we started after Labor Day. We were in school through 3rd week of June. I know because my birthday is then. My fourth year teaching the 21st was the last day of school.

True. But this year we started August 18 and go til June 17

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, next school year’s calendar does seem better - we start about a full week later on 8/24 but we still get out mid June (6/17). I feel like starting later is better for summer travel and the all important ( ) summer pool season. But getting out earlier is better for education and having less wasted time at the end of the school year. So I do wonder why they didn’t try to start the 26-27 SY on 8/17 and get out 6/10.

How about we start after Labor Day and get out in early June like we used to?

Would love to see this mythical calendar where you got out in early June. It never happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No but that doesn't mean we shouldn't vote them out anyway. There are PLENTY of reasons to do so.

And get MAGA? NOPE!

[Anonymous]

"longer" school year is made possible by lots of 4day weekends and days off for mental health, schoolwork, etc. and parents know years in advance for childcare. I truly don't see the reason for school board hatred, angst over this

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"longer" school year is made possible by lots of 4day weekends and days off for mental health, schoolwork, etc. and parents know years in advance for childcare. I truly don't see the reason for school board hatred, angst over this

It is not just the days off. There are also early release days on top of all these days off. Childcare aside, the issue is consistent learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No but that doesn't mean we shouldn't vote them out anyway. There are PLENTY of reasons to do so.

And get MAGA? NOPE!

What is wrong with Making America great? Your TDS is showing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"longer" school year is made possible by lots of 4day weekends and days off for mental health, schoolwork, etc. and parents know years in advance for childcare. I truly don't see the reason for school board hatred, angst over this

The hatred is because it’s disrespectful.

Whether it was intentional or not, you’re entirely wrong about “years in advance”. The early dismissals starting in ‘24 were announced weeks before they started. The new day of the week for this awful program was announced in May. No one believes Reid or the board won’t make more changes to published calendars— fool us once, shame on you, fool us twice …

And so the hatred is because of the disrespect and sexism. FCPS’ casual assumption that women (its always women) couldn’t possibly have jobs so demanding that 39 days off PLUS early dismissals could possibly represent a hardship to the mothers they assume are home eating bonbons. And if they’re NOT sitting home surely they can fork out $1000 extra a month to cover childcare so teachers can “plan”. Meanwhile, no matter how long you know in advance no job is handing most workers 39 days off between September and June.

FCPS is going to need to answer to their constituents. Board members know people are angry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, next school year’s calendar does seem better - we start about a full week later on 8/24 but we still get out mid June (6/17). I feel like starting later is better for summer travel and the all important ( ) summer pool season. But getting out earlier is better for education and having less wasted time at the end of the school year. So I do wonder why they didn’t try to start the 26-27 SY on 8/17 and get out 6/10.

How about we start after Labor Day and get out in early June like we used to?

In the 1980s the state passed a law, to help boost tourism (known as the Kings Dominion Law) that said schools had to start after Labor Day unless they got a waiver. In the 2000s/2010s more districts starting applying for waivers and getting them. I think they said it had to do with snow days - they called them more liberally and old calendars only had 3 built in meaning that without an earlier start, they risked having to eat into summer or spring break to make up the time.

What it really has to do with is maximizing the time before state testing to give schools on the line a better shot at passing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No but that doesn't mean we shouldn't vote them out anyway. There are PLENTY of reasons to do so.

And get MAGA? NOPE!

The very liberal left has become as crazy and extreme as MAGA. Pick your poison. This extremely left school board is terrible. A Republican school board (or at least some Republican board members) is looking better every day.