Reply to Melanie Meren's FB post about the calendar

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Melanie Meren just posted this on Facebook:

The School Board has heard from many families regarding the lack of full, five-day school weeks this year and the significant burden this places on families who must navigate complex and often costly childcare arrangements. In the 2025-26 school year alone, partial weeks occurred more than half the time, functioning as an informal “childcare tax” that falls hardest on our hourly-wage and most vulnerable households.
To address these challenges, I am collaborating on a new draft policy to be circulated among my School Board colleagues that aims to consolidate overlapping directives into a single, unified framework. A primary goal is to prioritize five-day school weeks as the default standard to restore instructional continuity and provide families with stability they need. 
Another goal is to clarify the Superintendent’s responsibilities in developing the student calendar while ensuring the School Board reviews and approves it as part of our annual work cycle. 
My goal is to have the calendar beginning in SY 26-27 adjusted to increase the number of five-day school weeks. 
I’ll keep the community updated as work proceeds.
Sincerely, 
Melanie

So, reach out to your Board and have your opinions heard! Don't wait for some dumb and poorly designed survey to land in your spam folder.[/quote]

It is clear from Meren’s post that she is concerned about the childcare costs to families.  She does not cite academics as one of her concerns.

FCPS staff and leadership are all aware that the content in ES does not require a full five days.  Parents should also be aware of this in order to be fully informed during any policy change discussions. [/quote]

Then— crazy idea here— use the time to teach children more than the bare minimum required.

Or, end elementary school two weeks earlier than middle and high school so the kids can start summer (and summer plans which prioritize kids) sooner.[/quote]

+1.  Why is everyone afraid of their kids learning more than the bare minimum required for a test?[/quote]

This is one of the things that has really surprised me the most about the early release Wednesday. Let’s take them at their word-hyphen that the teachers desperately *desperately* need three extra hours to plan.

[b]What stops FCPS from finding enriching programming for three hours? Have author talks, nature/science presentations, classical musicians, heck that bubble man. Get the same people providing “childcare” to supervise the kids in a 90 minute assembly where the kids are exposed to something worthwhile and interesting. Less pushback from the parents then you do warehouse children on screens for then reminding parents that it’s only for “hardship” cases[/b].[/quote]

I honestly think this is the answer. Having days off or early releases is fine, especially if the teachers need it. The issue is the constant disruption it causes to families (for all sorts of reasons) and the constant scrambling. So many people are in survivor mode and this is just one more thing on top of the "mountain of things" that need to be handled.

Money is definitely an issue but I think many parents would be willing to work around cost and find solutions if it meant having one less major stressor. Just think about how much easier things would be if families knew that, no matter what, kids *could* be in school Monday through Friday from August to June.

The solutions could be endless. Schools could offer things like mini-camps, tutoring, enrichment programs, gym or playground time, movie days, read-ins, guest lectures, special assemblies, field trips, mentor programs, community service or structured free time where students can dive deeper into interests they enjoy. Other options could include special projects, student clubs, creative writing, public speaking, piano lessons, sports, photography, and more.

Staffing could come from a mix of employees, contractors, volunteers, parents, substitute teachers, and local businesses in the community.

Funding could also come from multiple sources, including tax dollars, grants, and private payments, with support built in for families who could not afford it. Many kid-focused businesses would jump at the chance to offer free or low-cost programs simply for the exposure. Traditional advertising is expensive and the return is unpredictable, so having direct access to families would be extremely appealing to many organizations.[/quote]

Our PTA tried to do this (specifically tutoring and STEM activities) last year with parent volunteers and the principal wouldn't let it through because "we can't have parents instructing."  There are some great teachers and administrators in FCPS but so many just want the status quo which means they have to shut down anything that might be better than what they can/will offer.[/quote]

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