A school schedule vote!

[vacliff]

How about this radical thought:
Loudoun builds in a bunch of weather days into the schedule. If you don't use them, end the school year that many days sooner!

[Mr. Linux]

Believe it or not, the school boards are limited by a State law which keeps them from starting school before labor day (and maybe ending before Memorial Day as well) in VA; I think it dates back to some lobbying by the owners of Kings Dominion, who didn't want their 'season' to be cut short. So, I think the fault lies with the State legislature and not with the county. I could be wrong though...

[cindyb]

It is the kings dominion law that schools in VA don't start before Labor Day. That being said, the state looks at a 5 or 10 year formula to see how many snow days a district uses. If the district applies for a waiver because it uses alot of snow days, school can begin in Aug. Sometimes we have very dry years in that formula so we aren't always given the waiver. As far as giving snow days back at the end of the year, these days are supposedly banked, and gives us a fixed schedule. The bummer is years like this where we didn't use the days but the years that we use many extra snow days, we don't make them up but counties like Fairfax do. Fairfax has made up days before by cutting spring break short, adding on days at the end of the year, etc. I believe 4-5 years ago we had a year like that.

The middle school not getting out early like the high school may have something to do with the bussing situation. Most of the busses run between schools all day long, from elem. to middle to high, to kindergarten, and back again. It may not be possible to change all the bus schedules to accomodate early dismissal in middle and high, but pick up regular time at the elem. level.

[Brassy]

Thanks Cindy, I scooped you by personally speaking with LCPS Public Info officer and here is what he emailed me to post as he does not post to forums at all:

The law in Virginia governing the opening of school is commonly known as "The Kings Dominion Rule." Its a longstanding law designed to lengthen the tourist season through Labor Day. To go to school before Labor Day, you have to meet the conditions of a convoluted formula: A school division must have missed a total of 40 days of school in five of the past 10 years. We don't have any five years that add up to 40 so we must go after Labor Day per state law.

We would prefer to go before Labor Day and end earlier. The School Board has asked our delegates to the General Assembly to have this law abolished. So far this has gone nowhere.

The state requires you go to school for 180 days. We go for 183 so that we can bank time against the possibility of bad weather. This means we don't have snow days and will never have to make up days should we have a very bad weather year. (Cutting into spring break, Saturday school, extended school year are not options in Loudoun.) The extra days allow us to stay on a fixed calendar. Once we announce our calendar for the following year (usually in October) that's it. It's set in stone. There will be no changes.

Loudoun had year-round school in the early 1970s because of overcrowding in Sterling Park. It did not go particularly well. There also are budget considerations in keeping the buildings open and staff on hand in the summer.
On the other hand between summer school, specialized camps and athletics, we almost do go to school year-round.
- Wayde B. Byard, public information officer, Loudoun County Public Schools

[softballchick]

Originally Posted by Brassy

We hear you loud and clear, chica

Just wanted to make sure you all know that I would hate it.

[shapple]

I went to year round school growing up and loved it! We went to school for 9 weeks - then got 3 weeks off. We would get 2 weeks off at Christmas and 2 weeks off between school years. In the summer, we would head straight to the pool after school. My parents appreciated it too. As working parents, they didn't have to worry about extended periods of lining up daycare. Our family would take family vacations during off seasons. When Prince William County switched to the traditional summer vacation schedule, the community was not happy.

[T8ergirl]

I believe that school should be year-round. No one needs the summer off to tend the farm anymore. If you look at it objectively and don't consider what we've gotten used to and what we "like", you have to admit that there is no reason for the schedule as it exists.

As far as the temperature goes, I'm not sure why that matters. Don't the schools have heating and airconditioning? No one ever says "let's not have school in the winter because its just too chilly!"

All of that is way too radical and advanced for LCPS which can't even offer full day kindergarten.

In the current scenario, though, I think one week makes zero difference and from a preference standpoint I think summer runs through Labor Day. I also don't understand why its better to send kids in the south back to school in early/mid august when that is WAY hotter than June.

[cindyb]

When we lived in CA, schools there were talking about going year-round to alleviate overcrowding. The way it would work is that school was open every week of the year (except the major holidays) and a percentage of the school would have breaks. Teachers would have to rotate rooms, since when his/her class was on a break another class would be returning and occupying that room. It was looking to be a nightmare as they were saying there would be no way to guarantee that your children would be on the same schedule, particularily if you had 2 different schools. The district was also talking about only making certain schools year-round (since parents fought hard not to have boundaries changed because schools in the district did not offer equal education) and the rest of the district would operate on the traditional schedule, again a pain if you had kids at different schools.

[mdcrim]

I would love year round schools if we could convince our surrounding jurisdictions to do the same on slightly offset schedules. That may help to alleviate some of our world famous traffic.