Reply to How DO we get the calendar changed?

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Reply to "How DO we get the calendar changed? "

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So do the 8 early release days include early release Wednesdays? Or will that be a totally different thing since it only applies to elementary schools? They have been so dumb.[/quote]
The motion turned into a disaster. Dunne was trying to stop elementary early releases by using language in the calendar planning policy, but then it was pointed out that there are a ton of high school early releases that aren’t on the calendar either, and we can’t just make high schoolers sit around at school after they’ve finished their AP exam or final because the school board said they couldn’t leave early!

Then the new guy threw out 8 days as a compromise and the language specifying elementary schools got added.

Basically, the attempt to kill the Wednesday early releases resulted in the death of end of quarter early releases, which isn’t going to be popular with the long weekend travelers. [/quote]

Updated calendar from today still has the QE early dismissals. The long weekends are safe.[/quote]
Could you please link to this?[/quote]

https://www.fcps.edu/system/files/forms/2025-04/2026-2027-standard-school-year-calendar.pdf

Updated 4/10, QE days unchanged

PP wasn't kidding, they did forget the first week of August, LOL!
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That Calendar is awful, but hey the complainers who don’t like being with their elementary kids are happy.  We are being ruled by complainers on social media rather than surveys and thinking things through. [/quote]

Yup. You’ve solved it. Parents go to work because they don’t like being with their young kids. Not because they like feeding, clothing, and housing those kids. Thanks Sherlock for solving that mystery.
[/quote]

If you are not making it because of 4 days off, I do honestly feel for you, but summer camps are pricey too. [/quote]

DP. Summer camps allow a consistent schedule. There are also a multitude of options that allow kids to explore all kinds of interests... music, arts, theater, robotics, sports... you name it. Most parents would much prefer to select summer camps based on their childrens' interests than be at the mercy of whatever crappy one day camp is offered by some random martial arts place. No one is putting on a series of high quality camps for one or two days at a time at random times throughout a school year. Who would work at such a camp?

People like you also tend to studiously ignore the parents are saying they prefer a longer summer. Maybe because that goes against your narrative that parents just don't want to deal with their kids. [/quote]

People like me have zero say in what happens to the calendar, and I am responding to your calendar comment, so I’m not ignoring you.

I just disagree with you about summers.

And, yes if taking 4 days off- or just 2 like I do switching off with my partner as necessary to cover those days rather than paying for camps is too hard for you, I do feel sorry for you.

FCPS didn’t poll parents this time to ask about summer camps vs. the day off camps, so you have zero clue whether the “majority” agrees with you or me.  They should absolutely done some surveys (as they ahve done in the past) before making these changes.

But Mateo Dunne and Melanie Meren of the board are ruling by social media and emails rather than better data that could prove your point.[/quote]

Meren is the worst. She is clearly trying to make a name for herself by promoting whatever cause seems like it will get her the most attention. And her statements at the board meeting? Clueless. Nonsensical. She mugged for the cameras, gave an embarrassingly phony and overly dramatic little speech, and said nothing of substance. She needs to go. [/quote]

And what did you do to help any of Meren’s constituents who were dissatisfied with the calendar?

You don’t have to like her but she delivered for the people she works for.[/quote]

Again, you don’t KNOW that.  She delivered for the angry parents who complained.  Did she send out a survey? Did she poll the rest of the county?

When calendar changes were made last time, there were several surveys for parents to fill out and a focus group who worked on the 3 school year calendar.

This time, there was nothing, but 2 board members listening to social media.  This is how bad policy gets made>. When people overreact and act quickly.

The majority shouldn’t be decided only by the angriest few, but the actual majority. [/quote]

This is exactly why I am so angry. [b]Meren did zero research, polled exactly nobody[/b], and then had the audacity to lecture the board about embarrassment - an overly rehearsed performance aimed at the cameras and a handful of helicopter parents who want free babysitting.

That's not leadership and that's not delivering. That's called not doing your homework. The only embarrassment in the room was her.[/quote]

Were you outraged when Reid added the three hour early releases, having done zero research and polled nobody? Because all this has done (other than Veterans day which by policy was supposed to be in school anyway) was marginally roll back the early releases.  This time action taken by the board who was elected versus Reid, who is not. [/quote]
It should be pointed out that when Dr Anderson requested surveys be used to help shape the 27-28 and 28-29 calendars, Karl Frisch sneered at this because they aren’t getting responses from the voices they care about. Reid agreed with him that the surveys weren’t helpful in accomplishing HER agenda. Basically, nobody cares about what parents think of the calendar. [/quote]

Consistently, the best board member is Dr. Anderson. Every time she makes sense. [/quote]

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