The voucher effect

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unpopular boundary review, 24/7 security team, possible failure to comply with Title IX, vouchers part of BBB, are a perfect storm.

If the school board fails to step in now, these B-level politicians won’t have any political future.

No doubt it makes you feel good to say that, but what's happening now is just more of the same from the School Board, and we've got Storck, Smith, and Palchik (all former School Board members) sitting on the Board of Supervisors; Cohen, Keys Gamarra, and Pekarsky (former School Board members) sitting in the state legislature; and Moon and Sizemore-Heizer (current School Board members) the likely successor to Walkinshaw on the Board of Supervisors. There have been a few School Board members whose political ambitions have been thwarted (Frisch lost a primary for state house of delegates, McElveen lost a primary for Board of Supervisors chair, and Moon lost a prior election for the Braddock seat on the Board of Supervisors), but mostly these folks rise through the ranks by being Democrats and having more name recognition than other candidates.

The things that you think will create a perfect storm, depending on how they play out, could put a few local seats (Dranesville, Springfield, Sully, and maybe an at-large seat) in play, but that's about it. That would change the dynamics somewhat because having a few members on the SB or BOS from the other party means the decisions of the majority may get challenged in public settings (think of Schultz when she was on the SB and Herrity on the BOS now) as opposed to rubber-stamped. But we live in a blue county, and voters in low-information elections will continue to vote blue, especially when you've got MAGA Republicans at the national level constantly looking for new ways to throw local residents out of work.

Correct. FCPS will steadily come to resemble the reality in Baltimore: Democratic control, poorly-performing schools and a robust private school market.

The current private school market in Fairfax is anything but robust (at present I'd argue there's really only one high-quality private in the entire county), but I agree that decisions by the School Board that are unpopular with MC and UMC families will - as will the promotion of vouchers at the federal and state level - increase the demand for private school options.

There already is a ton of demand. At least for the high quality privates.

And what standards are these “high quality” privates held to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many right wing loonies on the FCPS and AAP boards right now. Back to school and election silly season has them acting out again and threatening vouchers and private school. Whatever. Complain away. Yell into the void. FCPS is a public school with over 160,000 kids. Reid isn't going to be able consult every individual parent on every decision she bas to make. That's impossible. Her job is to make the best decisions she can to advance education and opportunities for the most students. If you don't like the way she is doing her job that she was hired to do, then put your application in. Go for it! See how you deal with having to make these decisions and having lunatic parents yelling in your face, calling you names, threatening your life, and generally muddying every conversation.

Two things:

1) When you dismiss legitimate complaints about FCPS as “MAGA” or “right wing”, you go a long way toward hollowing out the Democratic Party. It’s akin to making an argument that you don’t want me in your coalition. That might not impact whether a Democrat gets elected in deep blue Fairfax, but are you sure you want to turn away people from the Democratic Party? Is that going to get Dems back into power? I’m incredibly frustrated with what’s going on at the national level. I’m also mad as hell at what this school board is doing. The school board is doing one hell of a job recruiting me for the Republican Party.

2) can you point me to the posting for the superintendent job? Otherwise, your point about people being able to apply for it just comes off as unserious.

No one is dismissing your complaints. I have been arguing with you here and I AGREE with your COMPLAINTS. We are disagreeing with your idea that vouchers will help solve the issues you are raising. The idea that blowing up the system to get what you want is harmful to me and my kids. It isn’t going to touch the schoool board.

In simple language:
We agree with your complaints.

We disagree that your solution will help.

Other than accusing your opponents of being MAGA, what’s your solution?

[Anonymous]

But vouchers historically don't actually help anyone go to private school. If vouchers are for $5000, the price of tuition at the private schools goes up nearly $5000. It's just padding the profits for private, often religious based schools.

Private schools are also allowed to deny admission as they see fit. Your child with behavioral issues or learning disabilities that isn't thriving in public school isnt going to get into private and now they're going to be stuck in underfunded public schools with all of the other kids whose parents couldn't afford to send them to private or couldn't get in because of their own behavioral or learning issues.

Private schools have "better results" because they are selective over who they admit. If you can't test well and are going to bring their numbers down, you're dropped from the program. Sure, having a cohort of other intelligent kids can motivate many kids to do better but there is no private school magic that makes the learning better other than exclusion of everyone who would hold their scores back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many right wing loonies on the FCPS and AAP boards right now. Back to school and election silly season has them acting out again and threatening vouchers and private school. Whatever. Complain away. Yell into the void. FCPS is a public school with over 160,000 kids. Reid isn't going to be able consult every individual parent on every decision she bas to make. That's impossible. Her job is to make the best decisions she can to advance education and opportunities for the most students. If you don't like the way she is doing her job that she was hired to do, then put your application in. Go for it! See how you deal with having to make these decisions and having lunatic parents yelling in your face, calling you names, threatening your life, and generally muddying every conversation.

Two things:

1) When you dismiss legitimate complaints about FCPS as “MAGA” or “right wing”, you go a long way toward hollowing out the Democratic Party. It’s akin to making an argument that you don’t want me in your coalition. That might not impact whether a Democrat gets elected in deep blue Fairfax, but are you sure you want to turn away people from the Democratic Party? Is that going to get Dems back into power? I’m incredibly frustrated with what’s going on at the national level. I’m also mad as hell at what this school board is doing. The school board is doing one hell of a job recruiting me for the Republican Party.

2) can you point me to the posting for the superintendent job? Otherwise, your point about people being able to apply for it just comes off as unserious.

No one is dismissing your complaints. I have been arguing with you here and I AGREE with your COMPLAINTS. We are disagreeing with your idea that vouchers will help solve the issues you are raising. The idea that blowing up the system to get what you want is harmful to me and my kids. It isn’t going to touch the schoool board.

In simple language:
We agree with your complaints.

We disagree that your solution will help.

Other than accusing your opponents of being MAGA, what’s your solution?

In any post I have put up, I have very carefully said that you aren’t MAGA. Your solution however uses a similar thought process.

Early Release: Look if my kid came home saying they had been on a lap top for 3 hours, I would contact the school. I would request that my child read a book and be allowed outside during that block so they switch groups. I would look for camps like code ninja or martial arts programs that pick up from school for those days. I would also escalate as necessary. Principal, executive principal, etc if that continued. Keep in mind if your kid is in elementary, that may be the last thing they did or the most salient in their minds.

Redistricting: Personally, I’m biding my time until the next maps come out. Then it is full frontal assault. Keep pinging them on WHY they want this. Join the facebook group fairfacts. Email your area BRAC members, school board. Keep the pressure on. Talk about how beleaguered we are as a county and how they can’t possibly have accurate enrollment information with the unemployment and deportments. Pressure has worked to have them lessen the scope and allow grandfathering. Keep it up.

Alienating parents: I think not have homework is a huge issue because we as parents don’t know what our kids are doing and what they need help with. Make it mandatory. Sure some will hate this, but weekly homework issued on Monday and due on Friday keeps parents informed. It would go a long way to establish connection between home and school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But vouchers historically don't actually help anyone go to private school. If vouchers are for $5000, the price of tuition at the private schools goes up nearly $5000. It's just padding the profits for private, often religious based schools.

Private schools are also allowed to deny admission as they see fit. Your child with behavioral issues or learning disabilities that isn't thriving in public school isnt going to get into private and now they're going to be stuck in underfunded public schools with all of the other kids whose parents couldn't afford to send them to private or couldn't get in because of their own behavioral or learning issues.

Private schools have "better results" because they are selective over who they admit. If you can't test well and are going to bring their numbers down, you're dropped from the program. Sure, having a cohort of other intelligent kids can motivate many kids to do better but there is no private school magic that makes the learning better other than exclusion of everyone who would hold their scores back.

I keep seeing this point made, and just want to ask, are you unaware of several really excellent and well regarded private schools in the area which *specifically* serve 2E and other children with learning disabilities? Or are you ignoring them because they don’t help your point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But vouchers historically don't actually help anyone go to private school. If vouchers are for $5000, the price of tuition at the private schools goes up nearly $5000. It's just padding the profits for private, often religious based schools.

Private schools are also allowed to deny admission as they see fit. Your child with behavioral issues or learning disabilities that isn't thriving in public school isnt going to get into private and now they're going to be stuck in underfunded public schools with all of the other kids whose parents couldn't afford to send them to private or couldn't get in because of their own behavioral or learning issues.

Private schools have "better results" because they are selective over who they admit. If you can't test well and are going to bring their numbers down, you're dropped from the program. Sure, having a cohort of other intelligent kids can motivate many kids to do better but there is no private school magic that makes the learning better other than exclusion of everyone who would hold their scores back.

I keep seeing this point made, and just want to ask, are you unaware of several really excellent and well regarded private schools in the area which *specifically* serve 2E and other children with learning disabilities? Or are you ignoring them because they don’t help your point?

And do those school have space? Will the vouchers be enough to offset the enormous cost of those programs to the average family?

There are some private schools that serve 2E kids (I personally know 2 families that utilize them) but there's nowhere near enough space or qualified teachers in those programs to absorb even 5% of FCPS in addition to their current student load.

They would also still be selective over which 2E kids they admit and not all kids who have behavioral issues or learning disabilities are 2E. It's not going to be a solution for the vast majority of families in FCPS. Why would we gut public funding for schools and throw our tax dollars into private schools over something that doesnt even benefit the vast majority of people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But vouchers historically don't actually help anyone go to private school. If vouchers are for $5000, the price of tuition at the private schools goes up nearly $5000. It's just padding the profits for private, often religious based schools.

Private schools are also allowed to deny admission as they see fit. Your child with behavioral issues or learning disabilities that isn't thriving in public school isnt going to get into private and now they're going to be stuck in underfunded public schools with all of the other kids whose parents couldn't afford to send them to private or couldn't get in because of their own behavioral or learning issues.

Private schools have "better results" because they are selective over who they admit. If you can't test well and are going to bring their numbers down, you're dropped from the program. Sure, having a cohort of other intelligent kids can motivate many kids to do better but there is no private school magic that makes the learning better other than exclusion of everyone who would hold their scores back.

My kid is high performing without any known learning disability/issues. And we can relatively easily afford private school, even the ones that rival college tuition.

I never thought in a million years that I’d consider private school. I was a public school kid and believe in the value of that system. I believe that teachers should be paid a lot more than they are.

But when the school board actively goes after my families and my neighbors because we are in a certain neighborhood and they use our kids as their resources to deploy to try to help other kids, that’s the point I say “no thanks.”

And it’s because of that betrayal that I would reluctantly become an opponent of the public school system that I have always supported. I guess in a way this will become my villain backstory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many right wing loonies on the FCPS and AAP boards right now. Back to school and election silly season has them acting out again and threatening vouchers and private school. Whatever. Complain away. Yell into the void. FCPS is a public school with over 160,000 kids. Reid isn't going to be able consult every individual parent on every decision she bas to make. That's impossible. Her job is to make the best decisions she can to advance education and opportunities for the most students. If you don't like the way she is doing her job that she was hired to do, then put your application in. Go for it! See how you deal with having to make these decisions and having lunatic parents yelling in your face, calling you names, threatening your life, and generally muddying every conversation.

Two things:

1) When you dismiss legitimate complaints about FCPS as “MAGA” or “right wing”, you go a long way toward hollowing out the Democratic Party. It’s akin to making an argument that you don’t want me in your coalition. That might not impact whether a Democrat gets elected in deep blue Fairfax, but are you sure you want to turn away people from the Democratic Party? Is that going to get Dems back into power? I’m incredibly frustrated with what’s going on at the national level. I’m also mad as hell at what this school board is doing. The school board is doing one hell of a job recruiting me for the Republican Party.

2) can you point me to the posting for the superintendent job? Otherwise, your point about people being able to apply for it just comes off as unserious.

No one is dismissing your complaints. I have been arguing with you here and I AGREE with your COMPLAINTS. We are disagreeing with your idea that vouchers will help solve the issues you are raising. The idea that blowing up the system to get what you want is harmful to me and my kids. It isn’t going to touch the schoool board.

In simple language:
We agree with your complaints.

We disagree that your solution will help.

Other than accusing your opponents of being MAGA, what’s your solution?

In any post I have put up, I have very carefully said that you aren’t MAGA. Your solution however uses a similar thought process.

Early Release: Look if my kid came home saying they had been on a lap top for 3 hours, I would contact the school. I would request that my child read a book and be allowed outside during that block so they switch groups. I would look for camps like code ninja or martial arts programs that pick up from school for those days. I would also escalate as necessary. Principal, executive principal, etc if that continued. Keep in mind if your kid is in elementary, that may be the last thing they did or the most salient in their minds.

Redistricting: Personally, I’m biding my time until the next maps come out. Then it is full frontal assault. Keep pinging them on WHY they want this. Join the facebook group fairfacts. Email your area BRAC members, school board. Keep the pressure on. Talk about how beleaguered we are as a county and how they can’t possibly have accurate enrollment information with the unemployment and deportments. Pressure has worked to have them lessen the scope and allow grandfathering. Keep it up.

Alienating parents: I think not have homework is a huge issue because we as parents don’t know what our kids are doing and what they need help with. Make it mandatory. Sure some will hate this, but weekly homework issued on Monday and due on Friday keeps parents informed. It would go a long way to establish connection between home and school.

I agree with you on homework (within reason and appropriate).

On early dismissal you seem to miss the part where Reid lied to parents in 2025, took no parental feedback before the 2026 decision, and now you think it’s on parents to scramble to fix it at their own expense. This is the alienation point: if I’m taking PTO or paying for additional services to cover what is already supposed to be educational time, the school is already failed. Yes parents can mitigate the failure, but everything you suggested to mitigate the failure is a private option. If you’re saying I need to pay private organizations to educate my child…why wouldn’t I just take a voucher to offset the cost of paying a private organization to educate my child?

[Anonymous]

That is very narrow thinking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But vouchers historically don't actually help anyone go to private school. If vouchers are for $5000, the price of tuition at the private schools goes up nearly $5000. It's just padding the profits for private, often religious based schools.

Private schools are also allowed to deny admission as they see fit. Your child with behavioral issues or learning disabilities that isn't thriving in public school isnt going to get into private and now they're going to be stuck in underfunded public schools with all of the other kids whose parents couldn't afford to send them to private or couldn't get in because of their own behavioral or learning issues.

Private schools have "better results" because they are selective over who they admit. If you can't test well and are going to bring their numbers down, you're dropped from the program. Sure, having a cohort of other intelligent kids can motivate many kids to do better but there is no private school magic that makes the learning better other than exclusion of everyone who would hold their scores back.

My kid is high performing without any known learning disability/issues. And we can relatively easily afford private school, even the ones that rival college tuition.

I never thought in a million years that I’d consider private school. I was a public school kid and believe in the value of that system. I believe that teachers should be paid a lot more than they are.

But when the school board actively goes after my families and my neighbors because we are in a certain neighborhood and they use our kids as their resources to deploy to try to help other kids, that’s the point I say “no thanks.”

And it’s because of that betrayal that I would reluctantly become an opponent of the public school system that I have always supported. I guess in a way this will become my villain backstory.

I feel the same way. I have family members who teach public school.

I feel like FCPS has fundamentally lost its way in understanding its relationship to parents, BECAUSE liberal parents are so supportive of public schools. Now it’s like an abusive relationship where the abuser keeps saying you “make them” hit you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many right wing loonies on the FCPS and AAP boards right now. Back to school and election silly season has them acting out again and threatening vouchers and private school. Whatever. Complain away. Yell into the void. FCPS is a public school with over 160,000 kids. Reid isn't going to be able consult every individual parent on every decision she bas to make. That's impossible. Her job is to make the best decisions she can to advance education and opportunities for the most students. If you don't like the way she is doing her job that she was hired to do, then put your application in. Go for it! See how you deal with having to make these decisions and having lunatic parents yelling in your face, calling you names, threatening your life, and generally muddying every conversation.

Two things:

1) When you dismiss legitimate complaints about FCPS as “MAGA” or “right wing”, you go a long way toward hollowing out the Democratic Party. It’s akin to making an argument that you don’t want me in your coalition. That might not impact whether a Democrat gets elected in deep blue Fairfax, but are you sure you want to turn away people from the Democratic Party? Is that going to get Dems back into power? I’m incredibly frustrated with what’s going on at the national level. I’m also mad as hell at what this school board is doing. The school board is doing one hell of a job recruiting me for the Republican Party.

2) can you point me to the posting for the superintendent job? Otherwise, your point about people being able to apply for it just comes off as unserious.

No one is dismissing your complaints. I have been arguing with you here and I AGREE with your COMPLAINTS. We are disagreeing with your idea that vouchers will help solve the issues you are raising. The idea that blowing up the system to get what you want is harmful to me and my kids. It isn’t going to touch the schoool board.

In simple language:
We agree with your complaints.

We disagree that your solution will help.

Other than accusing your opponents of being MAGA, what’s your solution?

In any post I have put up, I have very carefully said that you aren’t MAGA. Your solution however uses a similar thought process.

Early Release: Look if my kid came home saying they had been on a lap top for 3 hours, I would contact the school. I would request that my child read a book and be allowed outside during that block so they switch groups. I would look for camps like code ninja or martial arts programs that pick up from school for those days. I would also escalate as necessary. Principal, executive principal, etc if that continued. Keep in mind if your kid is in elementary, that may be the last thing they did or the most salient in their minds.

Redistricting: Personally, I’m biding my time until the next maps come out. Then it is full frontal assault. Keep pinging them on WHY they want this. Join the facebook group fairfacts. Email your area BRAC members, school board. Keep the pressure on. Talk about how beleaguered we are as a county and how they can’t possibly have accurate enrollment information with the unemployment and deportments. Pressure has worked to have them lessen the scope and allow grandfathering. Keep it up.

Alienating parents: I think not have homework is a huge issue because we as parents don’t know what our kids are doing and what they need help with. Make it mandatory. Sure some will hate this, but weekly homework issued on Monday and due on Friday keeps parents informed. It would go a long way to establish connection between home and school.

I agree with you on homework (within reason and appropriate).

On early dismissal you seem to miss the part where Reid lied to parents in 2025, took no parental feedback before the 2026 decision, and now you think it’s on parents to scramble to fix it at their own expense. This is the alienation point: if I’m taking PTO or paying for additional services to cover what is already supposed to be educational time, the school is already failed. Yes parents can mitigate the failure, but everything you suggested to mitigate the failure is a private option. If you’re saying I need to pay private organizations to educate my child…why wouldn’t I just take a voucher to offset the cost of paying a private organization to educate my child?

No I didn’t say that privates were the only option. I said to make a complaint and escalate first. I would absolutely do this repeatedly if was contemplating taking time off work over sending my kid to the aftercare.

Another idea, ask one of your kids friends/parents if they can come over and the reciprocate another day.

If you are unable to see that paying a private program for 40 hours a year for supplemental activities is different than paying a years worth of academic tuition I’m not sure we are agreeing on how math works.

To you “Reid lied to us” point all school systems in the area “lied” because they were all scrambling last year. This year we were told well before summer. Early release PD days are common in most school districts.

[Anonymous]

Vouchers are just the natural outcome of the rapid urbanization of a suburban area. Poverty increases and people with money start considering other options. This is a normal progression.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But vouchers historically don't actually help anyone go to private school. If vouchers are for $5000, the price of tuition at the private schools goes up nearly $5000. It's just padding the profits for private, often religious based schools.

Private schools are also allowed to deny admission as they see fit. Your child with behavioral issues or learning disabilities that isn't thriving in public school isnt going to get into private and now they're going to be stuck in underfunded public schools with all of the other kids whose parents couldn't afford to send them to private or couldn't get in because of their own behavioral or learning issues.

Private schools have "better results" because they are selective over who they admit. If you can't test well and are going to bring their numbers down, you're dropped from the program. Sure, having a cohort of other intelligent kids can motivate many kids to do better but there is no private school magic that makes the learning better other than exclusion of everyone who would hold their scores back.

My kid is high performing without any known learning disability/issues. And we can relatively easily afford private school, even the ones that rival college tuition.

I never thought in a million years that I’d consider private school. I was a public school kid and believe in the value of that system. I believe that teachers should be paid a lot more than they are.

But when the school board actively goes after my families and my neighbors because we are in a certain neighborhood and they use our kids as their resources to deploy to try to help other kids, that’s the point I say “no thanks.”

And it’s because of that betrayal that I would reluctantly become an opponent of the public school system that I have always supported. I guess in a way this will become my villain backstory.

I feel the same way. I have family members who teach public school.

I feel like FCPS has fundamentally lost its way in understanding its relationship to parents, BECAUSE liberal parents are so supportive of public schools. Now it’s like an abusive relationship where the abuser keeps saying you “make them” hit you.

I can guarantee that you wouldn’t feel so alienated if we had homework. Not having homework establishes this disconnect where you don’t see anything your kid is working on and you have to blindly trust the school that they are educating your kid. As a parent we want to SEE the progress our kids are making. It is the biggest mistake school systems have made in the last few years.

After pulling homework we start to question everything because we are running as blind “partners”
Offer it and parents will feel much more connected and secure in their child’s education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many right wing loonies on the FCPS and AAP boards right now. Back to school and election silly season has them acting out again and threatening vouchers and private school. Whatever. Complain away. Yell into the void. FCPS is a public school with over 160,000 kids. Reid isn't going to be able consult every individual parent on every decision she bas to make. That's impossible. Her job is to make the best decisions she can to advance education and opportunities for the most students. If you don't like the way she is doing her job that she was hired to do, then put your application in. Go for it! See how you deal with having to make these decisions and having lunatic parents yelling in your face, calling you names, threatening your life, and generally muddying every conversation.

Two things:

1) When you dismiss legitimate complaints about FCPS as “MAGA” or “right wing”, you go a long way toward hollowing out the Democratic Party. It’s akin to making an argument that you don’t want me in your coalition. That might not impact whether a Democrat gets elected in deep blue Fairfax, but are you sure you want to turn away people from the Democratic Party? Is that going to get Dems back into power? I’m incredibly frustrated with what’s going on at the national level. I’m also mad as hell at what this school board is doing. The school board is doing one hell of a job recruiting me for the Republican Party.

2) can you point me to the posting for the superintendent job? Otherwise, your point about people being able to apply for it just comes off as unserious.

No one is dismissing your complaints. I have been arguing with you here and I AGREE with your COMPLAINTS. We are disagreeing with your idea that vouchers will help solve the issues you are raising. The idea that blowing up the system to get what you want is harmful to me and my kids. It isn’t going to touch the schoool board.

In simple language:
We agree with your complaints.

We disagree that your solution will help.

Other than accusing your opponents of being MAGA, what’s your solution?

In any post I have put up, I have very carefully said that you aren’t MAGA. Your solution however uses a similar thought process.

Early Release: Look if my kid came home saying they had been on a lap top for 3 hours, I would contact the school. I would request that my child read a book and be allowed outside during that block so they switch groups. I would look for camps like code ninja or martial arts programs that pick up from school for those days. I would also escalate as necessary. Principal, executive principal, etc if that continued. Keep in mind if your kid is in elementary, that may be the last thing they did or the most salient in their minds.

Redistricting: Personally, I’m biding my time until the next maps come out. Then it is full frontal assault. Keep pinging them on WHY they want this. Join the facebook group fairfacts. Email your area BRAC members, school board. Keep the pressure on. Talk about how beleaguered we are as a county and how they can’t possibly have accurate enrollment information with the unemployment and deportments. Pressure has worked to have them lessen the scope and allow grandfathering. Keep it up.

Alienating parents: I think not have homework is a huge issue because we as parents don’t know what our kids are doing and what they need help with. Make it mandatory. Sure some will hate this, but weekly homework issued on Monday and due on Friday keeps parents informed. It would go a long way to establish connection between home and school.

I agree with you on homework (within reason and appropriate).

On early dismissal you seem to miss the part where Reid lied to parents in 2025, took no parental feedback before the 2026 decision, and now you think it’s on parents to scramble to fix it at their own expense. This is the alienation point: if I’m taking PTO or paying for additional services to cover what is already supposed to be educational time, the school is already failed. Yes parents can mitigate the failure, but everything you suggested to mitigate the failure is a private option. If you’re saying I need to pay private organizations to educate my child…why wouldn’t I just take a voucher to offset the cost of paying a private organization to educate my child?

No I didn’t say that privates were the only option. I said to make a complaint and escalate first. I would absolutely do this repeatedly if was contemplating taking time off work over sending my kid to the aftercare.

Another idea, ask one of your kids friends/parents if they can come over and the reciprocate another day.

If you are unable to see that paying a private program for 40 hours a year for supplemental activities is different than paying a years worth of academic tuition I’m not sure we are agreeing on how math works.

To you “Reid lied to us” point all school systems in the area “lied” because they were all scrambling last year. This year we were told well before summer. Early release PD days are common in most school districts.

I don’t know that I consider May “well before summer” or that five minutes at the end of a board meeting constitutes communication but sure. You can feel satisfied by that if you want. The lie was that last year was the only year we were doing it, and that we “had” to. Now here we are. You feel satisfied, I feel disrespected and alienated. We both get the same number of votes in an election and so the school needs to figure out how to get people while feel like I do to pull the lever for them.


And this isn’t a math problem, so much as a roles issue. Yes, I can take PTO, or organize playdates, but the point is that my child is wasting eight days they’re supposed to be learning. If I want them to be learning on those eight days, your point is I should pay a private organization to make sure they’re learning. My point is if I am responsible for finding a private organization to educate my child eight of the days FCPS is already responsible for doing so, why don’t I just find one organization for the other 172 as well?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Excuse me if this has already been covered, but would private schools that accept tax dollar vouchers have to meet the same accreditation standards and provide the same Standards of Leaning as the public schools? Would their teachers have to meet the same licensing and recertification requirements?

Bump