The advocates for the religious holidays were incredibly vocal with the last board and they got their way. Teachers demanded a two week winter break. The average family perspective doesn’t stand a chance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i really hope the masses select eliminate all the religious holidays. it’s ridiculous how many we have off and how long the school year is. so many districts in Va are done or finishing before us and they all started after us

I would be shocked if that is even offered as an option, it has not been an option the last few years. I have written that they need to go away or the Federal holidays need to go away in the comments section ebcause it is not covered in the survey itself.

None of it matters, the small percentage of the population that wants all the days off will take the survey and encourage their friends to take the survey. Most of the county that doesn't pay attention to their emails won't even look at the survey. The Board will point to the small percentage of people who took the survey who are very invested in having their religious day off or who love all the days off as evidence that people want them.

The survey doesn't matter. I'll still do it but I doubt it will make any impact.

It is very much offered as an option in the survey.

Anonymous wrote:i really hope the masses select eliminate all the religious holidays. it’s ridiculous how many we have off and how long the school year is. so many districts in Va are done or finishing before us and they all started after us

I would be shocked if that is even offered as an option, it has not been an option the last few years. I have written that they need to go away or the Federal holidays need to go away in the comments section ebcause it is not covered in the survey itself.

None of it matters, the small percentage of the population that wants all the days off will take the survey and encourage their friends to take the survey. Most of the county that doesn't pay attention to their emails won't even look at the survey. The Board will point to the small percentage of people who took the survey who are very invested in having their religious day off or who love all the days off as evidence that people want them.

The survey doesn't matter. I'll still do it but I doubt it will make any impact.

i really hope the masses select eliminate all the religious holidays. it’s ridiculous how many we have off and how long the school year is. so many districts in Va are done or finishing before us and they all started after us

Anonymous wrote:This is just survey as theatre.

Yup. I predict nothing changes.

Well, drat, they did not have an option for year-round school. Oh well. Maybe one day.

It was easy to demonstrate a preference to no more religious off. I think that is what the vast majority of respondents will do (according to the ire on DCUM, at least). But, for sure, I hope to keep the 2 weeks of winter break, the 1 week of spring break, and the 3 days at Thanksgiving.

This is just survey as theatre.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not a contract issue, it’s a pandering issue.

Snow days should become remote teacher workdays, if we don’t have enough snow days in a calendar TW days go to the summer.

So teachers' planning/grading time should be at the whim of mother nature? And they don't need any time during the fall or spring?

You mean like how Reid thinks all parents work time should be?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just vote no on anything related to teacher work days. They will then combine them with the religious holidays.

I want teachers to have workdays. If they don't have them, they'll be forced to take off days during the school year just to keep up with planning and grading. That is a problem for two reasons. First, they shouldn't have to use their leave to do their jobs. Second, I'd rather have teachers in school than subs.

They will still have the workday because they are contractual. But if parents uniformly object to have both the workday and the religious holidays, they will double them in the same way they have for Columbus/indigenous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not a contract issue, it’s a pandering issue.

Snow days should become remote teacher workdays, if we don’t have enough snow days in a calendar TW days go to the summer.

So teachers' planning/grading time should be at the whim of mother nature? And they don't need any time during the fall or spring?

There was something like 11 days off other than early release. There is no need to add an additional early release half day to meet the contract requirements.

Anonymous wrote:Just vote no on anything related to teacher work days. They will then combine them with the religious holidays.

I want teachers to have workdays. If they don't have them, they'll be forced to take off days during the school year just to keep up with planning and grading. That is a problem for two reasons. First, they shouldn't have to use their leave to do their jobs. Second, I'd rather have teachers in school than subs.

Anonymous wrote:Vote no on long winter break
Vote no on random religious holidays
Vote no on early release days
Vote no on 4 day school weeks

Vote yes on getting out earlier in the year.

I will vote yes on a long winter break.
I will vote yes on 4-day school weeks.

I will vote no on ES early-release days, but yes on end-of-quarter and end-of-year early release days.

I will vote no on random religious holidays even though my religion "benefits" from a few of the religious holidays.

Anonymous wrote:It’s not a contract issue, it’s a pandering issue.

Snow days should become remote teacher workdays, if we don’t have enough snow days in a calendar TW days go to the summer.

So teachers' planning/grading time should be at the whim of mother nature? And they don't need any time during the fall or spring?

Anonymous wrote:Vote no on long winter break
Vote no on random religious holidays
Vote no on early release days
Vote no on 4 day school weeks

Vote yes on getting out earlier in the year.

Nah. I don’t like that idea.

Here is the long term problem: next school year’s calendar isn’t too bad. We start August 24 and get out June 16. That’s about a whole week shorter than this school year. The thing is they kept all the random religious holidays and the full two week winter break, but it just so happens that the religious holidays fall on more favorable days of the week. Either weekends or Monday or Friday to create a nice three day weekend.

Rosh Hashanah is a Saturday
Yom Kippur is a Monday
Diwali is a Sunday
Lunar New Year is a Saturday
Eid Al Adha is a Monday
Only Eid al Fitr is mid week next school year, on a Wednesday

The 27-28 calendar is similarly favorable, with Yom Kippur on the same day as Indigenous Peoples Day, Diwali being tacked on to the end of the 1st quarter, and most other religious holidays on weekends. We do lose an extra 2 days in 27-28 for presidential primary voting the first Tuesday in March and they decided to tack on a teacher work day the Monday before.

But when all of these holidays fall mid week and aren’t being doubled as teacher work/school planning days is when we start to have a calendar that drags on and on with little continuity. They seem unwilling to do something like use the religious and cultural days as TW/SP days and then reducing the TW/SP days at the end of the quarters from 2 down to 1. Or even going back on some of the religious observances from days off to O days.