Contact the school board to share your thoughts.
https://www.apsva.us/arlington-school-board/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unbelievable. Why does APS want to give all these holidays to syphax? Why haven’t our school board members stopped this?

+1. Starting to wonder if Duran views his purpose as leading a system for educating children or running a government funded jobs organization. Class sizes are enormous, learning loss is real, and teacher morale is at an all time low, and a month of paid holidays for back office employees is the hill he wants to die on?

Somebody has some MESSED UP priorities.

Agreed. I don’t want my tax dollars going to extra vacay for management. Take care of the teachers, the assistants, and the bus drivers.

When is the school board voting on this? Teachers are struggling to get paid for summer school but syphax is going to get a lot of paid holidays?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unbelievable. Why does APS want to give all these holidays to syphax? Why haven’t our school board members stopped this?

+1. Starting to wonder if Duran views his purpose as leading a system for educating children or running a government funded jobs organization. Class sizes are enormous, learning loss is real, and teacher morale is at an all time low, and a month of paid holidays for back office employees is the hill he wants to die on?

Somebody has some MESSED UP priorities.

Agreed. I don’t want my tax dollars going to extra vacay for management. Take care of the teachers, the assistants, and the bus drivers.

Anonymous wrote:Unbelievable. Why does APS want to give all these holidays to syphax? Why haven’t our school board members stopped this?

+1. Starting to wonder if Duran views his purpose as leading a system for educating children or running a government funded jobs organization. Class sizes are enormous, learning loss is real, and teacher morale is at an all time low, and a month of paid holidays for back office employees is the hill he wants to die on?

Somebody has some MESSED UP priorities.

Unbelievable. Why does APS want to give all these holidays to syphax? Why haven’t our school board members stopped this?

Looks like the calendar will be on the agenda as an Information Item at the August 17 meeting.

https://www.apsva.us/engage/policies-for-revision-amendment/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't the SB supposed to vote on this policy in July? Is that happening at the mtg tonight?

There was a “second draft” posted that addressed very few substantive concerns with the first and had an abnormally short comment period that was not advertised.

Oh, I don't think I saw the second draft. Did it look like the earliest possible date school would start is Aug 19th? As in there is no indication school will start Aug 12?

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/57/2023/07/2023-24-Calendar.pdf

Thank you

Oh sorry. I was meaning after this year. So 24-25. But thank you anyway!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't the SB supposed to vote on this policy in July? Is that happening at the mtg tonight?

There was a “second draft” posted that addressed very few substantive concerns with the first and had an abnormally short comment period that was not advertised.

Oh, I don't think I saw the second draft. Did it look like the earliest possible date school would start is Aug 19th? As in there is no indication school will start Aug 12?

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/57/2023/07/2023-24-Calendar.pdf

Thank you

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't the SB supposed to vote on this policy in July? Is that happening at the mtg tonight?

There was a “second draft” posted that addressed very few substantive concerns with the first and had an abnormally short comment period that was not advertised.

Oh, I don't think I saw the second draft. Did it look like the earliest possible date school would start is Aug 19th? As in there is no indication school will start Aug 12?

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/57/2023/07/2023-24-Calendar.pdf

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't the SB supposed to vote on this policy in July? Is that happening at the mtg tonight?

There was a “second draft” posted that addressed very few substantive concerns with the first and had an abnormally short comment period that was not advertised.

Oh, I don't think I saw the second draft. Did it look like the earliest possible date school would start is Aug 19th? As in there is no indication school will start Aug 12?

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't the SB supposed to vote on this policy in July? Is that happening at the mtg tonight?

There was a “second draft” posted that addressed very few substantive concerns with the first and had an abnormally short comment period that was not advertised.

Wasn't the SB supposed to vote on this policy in July? Is that happening at the mtg tonight?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does this calendar policy mean that syphax employees will get paid for all these holidays? s teacher on AEM shared her public comment about syphax getting paid for all these new days but teachers aren’t.

Yes. Syphax and 12 month employees work like 7 more days than 10 mos employees and get paid for the entire year. It’s a disgrace.

This is insane and seriously gives teachers no reason to stay in the classroom vs. trying to get a Syphax job. I will say that not everyone at Syphax is a 12 month employee and not all 12 month employees are at Syphax but still. It's infuriating for teachers many of whom work more outside of contract hours that many of the 12 month employees.

I couldn’t figure out if the teacher was arguing for more paid days in those 10 months, or whether we should be lessening the amount of paid days for Syphax. The latter I can get behind- the former will likely be shot down out the gate as too expensive. It’s clear though that the PTO days for Syphax employees is what is driving this calendar policy because it makes sense for absolutely no one else.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does this calendar policy mean that syphax employees will get paid for all these holidays? s teacher on AEM shared her public comment about syphax getting paid for all these new days but teachers aren’t.

Yes. Syphax and 12 month employees work like 7 more days than 10 mos employees and get paid for the entire year. It’s a disgrace.

This is insane and seriously gives teachers no reason to stay in the classroom vs. trying to get a Syphax job. I will say that not everyone at Syphax is a 12 month employee and not all 12 month employees are at Syphax but still. It's infuriating for teachers many of whom work more outside of contract hours that many of the 12 month employees.

Anonymous wrote:Does this calendar policy mean that syphax employees will get paid for all these holidays? s teacher on AEM shared her public comment about syphax getting paid for all these new days but teachers aren’t.

Yes. Syphax and 12 month employees work like 7 more days than 10 mos employees and get paid for the entire year. It’s a disgrace.