Looks like Karen Garza's trying to get at least one success she can point to after her first year.

From FCPS.edu (and it's not about snow closure for once):

The School Board is discussing the possibility of lengthening the current shortened Monday schedule for elementary schools to a full instructional day and is asking parents to provide feedback before the School Board is scheduled to vote on the issue at its June 26 meeting. Parents and teachers are invited to complete a survey on this proposed change by Monday, June 23 at 5 p.m.

At its May 28 and June 16 work sessions, the Board heard the results of a working group composed of 23 members, including principals and central office staff, whose charge was to review the current practices for scheduling students at the elementary, middle and high school levels, and then, make recommendations to Superintendent Karen Garza that will improve effectiveness and efficiency. Several recommendations to lengthen Mondays were shared with the School Board, including providing 20 minutes of recess each day within the regular elementary schedule and providing additional resources and policy flexibility at the elementary level to increase teacher-directed planning time. In addition, the School Board heard from the working group reasons to switch from the 180-day calendar to the 990-hour option for meeting state accreditation requirements. This change would eliminate the need to add snow makeup days to the end of the school year.


Resources

FCPS Master Schedule - (School Board work session, 6/16/14)

Recommendations to FCPS Master Schedule and Annual School Calendar - (School Board work session, 5/28/14)

I was a product of the VA Manadatory "nap time" for kids kids under in Pre School and early release Elementary one day a week. As I had kids and dealt this all this stupidity I realized, why to Elementary School Teachers need "Planning" time. This is not rocket sciene we are dealing with here, why doe the Elementary Teachers get to have half a day off once a week, they do not work enough anyway.

Drop the Half Day Elementary school stupidity.

Drop the day requirement for all VA schools.

Drop the start after Labor Day/Kings Dominion Law. This really screws all the VA students as they reach High School. AP Exam schedules are set by the College Board. VA starts so late, they usually miss 1-2 weeks of instruction time before the AP Exams, then have a Winter like FCPS had and our students miss close to 1 month of instruction time before the AP Exams and our kids suffer.

Go figure??

At least VA is not heavily involved with Common Core non-sense, but the SOL tests are starting to incorporate questions that are Common Core type, however, not sure the students are being taught how to understand and process SOL questions that require "advanced thought/problem solving skills"??

Teach to the test rather than produce a bunch of students that can solve and deal with "real" world problems!

How about more Common Sense and less Common Core, Check Boxes, Zero Tolerance, Teacher Union and Foolish State Requirments?

Half-day Mondays are all about teachers' unions and lazy government. Do students benefit from this policy? Do taxpaying parents benefit, when they very often have to make alternate arrangements one day a week every single week for the six years that their children are in elementary school?

It telegraphs (or texts) to the students that the schools and teachers are really not serious about their education when a tenth of the week is just dismissed. When the schools then turn around at the end of the school year and say come two hours a day and do nothing because we just have to show up, although we are very happy if you don't even show up for the charade, how can students take their own education seriously?

Good points, commonsense.

half day mondays were great when I was a kid, I voted to end them now for my kids because I'm a dick.

voter for it Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> half day mondays were great when I was a kid, I
> voted to end them now for my kids because I'm a
> dick.


You are probably the only honest, self aware person on FFXU.

Why do we have any breaks? Why do we have summers off? Why do we take Xmas and Spring Break off? The Chinamen continue to kick our ass and I get that half-day Monday is a bad idea but, where does it all end?

Not sure how much this will help, but please consider signing the change.org petition below to stop early Monday dismissals.

http://www.change.org/petitions/fairfax-county-school-board-stop-monday-early-dismissals-and-provide-more-recess-time

If you read closely, the plans are to increase Monday hours so that all of the schools can increase their recess time. So you want the children to stay in school for a longer day so that they can have more play time???? The full day Monday is a push by those parents who do not want to pay for child care for their children. There is no plan for the increase in hours to provide additional art, music or productive class time....it isn't in the budget. As a matter of fact, this change is going to cost FCPS over 4 million dollars. Where are they going to find that kind of money when they are already in a deficit. So really what benefit is this to our children or to FCPS?

156200fd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not sure how much this will help, but please
> consider signing the change.org petition below to
> stop early Monday dismissals.
>
> http://www.change.org/petitions/fairfax-county-sch
> ool-board-stop-monday-early-dismissals-and-provide
> -more-recess-time


Really? A change.org petition? Lame. If you're a parent of an FCPS student and are on their email list with an elementary school child you should have received an email with a link to their survey. Those are the results they'll look over, not some lame ass slacktivist petition filled with names of people who cannot be verified to have a child in an FCPS elementary school.

dit Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you read closely, the plans are to increase
> Monday hours so that all of the schools can
> increase their recess time. So you want the
> children to stay in school for a longer day so
> that they can have more play time???? The full
> day Monday is a push by those parents who do not
> want to pay for child care for their children.
> There is no plan for the increase in hours to
> provide additional art, music or productive class
> time....it isn't in the budget. As a matter of
> fact, this change is going to cost FCPS over 4
> million dollars. Where are they going to find
> that kind of money when they are already in a
> deficit. So really what benefit is this to our
> children or to FCPS?


You clearly don't have children. Otherwise you would know that this will not affect the vast majority of parents who
a) have their kids in SACC,
b) have their kids in an after school program like all those Tai Kwon Doe "schools",
c) have one parent who is stay at home, or
d) have their illegal abuelita watch their kid and 6 others from el nuevo barrio.

Dropping two hours off the time needed for children to be watched will not affect after school care costs.

When they shortened Mondays, they extended T-F to make up for it.

If they lengthen Mondays, are they going to shorten T-F? Or are they going to expect staff to work a few hours extra for free? Knowing FCPS, it's probably the latter. At least until the class-action lawsuit is filed. I've heard rumors that there are Federal labor laws regarding paying employees for their time.

SchoolDaze sez:

Drop the start after Labor Day/Kings Dominion Law. This really screws all the VA students as they reach High School. AP Exam schedules are set by the College Board. VA starts so late, they usually miss 1-2 weeks of instruction time before the AP Exams, then have a Winter like FCPS had and our students miss close to 1 month of instruction time before the AP Exams and our kids suffer.

I say:

Ffx can't start school before Labor Day without permission from the VA DoE. The folks in Richmond have to approve (and, if I remember correctly, have already denied requests from Ffx to start earlier.)

I'm sorry...I almost missed this thread...I was waiting for the Land Rover at the shop (again) before picking up Channing Quattro at Bishop Ireton...

Sorry, most teachers are overpaid as it is. Even though FCPS teachers on the lower end of the scale.

Look at their hourly rate for the 180 days or what ever thay work, the perpertual long term retirement and health care benefits. Come on, they work about 6.5 hours a day. Yes some do have papers to grade and other tasks, so maybe they get their 8 hours in some days a week.

As for starting VA schools before Labor Day, this must happen if VA plans on staying competive. AP exams are just one of the reason this must happen.

VA DOE/Teachers Union seems to be a BIG problem along with the other folks that want to support the "Kings Dominion" law.

Get rid of short Mondays, about time FFX finally has full day Kindergarten across the county, this was crap that only "select" schools had full day Kindergarten anyway.

I am all for additional recess for the elementary kids, or at least have 2 shorter recess blocks rather than a single long one. Younger kids do not sit well for extended periods and stay focused. Part of ther problem is the lazy teachers that do not want to go outside when it is cold. Cannot believe the things that happened when my kids were in Elementary school and how often they did not go outside.

Wow I missed half day Mondays when I was a kid. I never knew the point of it though

Faculty Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SchoolDaze sez:
>
> Drop the start after Labor Day/Kings Dominion Law.
> This really screws all the VA students as they
> reach High School. AP Exam schedules are set by
> the College Board. VA starts so late, they usually
> miss 1-2 weeks of instruction time before the AP
> Exams, then have a Winter like FCPS had and our
> students miss close to 1 month of instruction time
> before the AP Exams and our kids suffer.
>
> I say:
>
> Ffx can't start school before Labor Day without
> permission from the VA DoE. The folks in Richmond
> have to approve (and, if I remember correctly,
> have already denied requests from Ffx to start
> earlier.)

"This really screws all the VA students as they reach High School. AP Exam schedules are set by the College Board. "

And yet somehow they still manage to get into college. Them and all the other kids in jurisdictions around the country that still honor the tradition of starting school after Labor Day.

KKKaren Garza has a flat ass

So, the board members all kissed Garza's ass last night.

The 4 million is coming from the frozen teacher salaries-and increased class sizes. FCPS teachers are paid less than Montgomery, Loundoun, and Arlington. Early release Monday provided time for teachers to plan for instruction and have meetings. So, no raise for the teachers and they will now have to stay late for meetings... really? No wonder many of the hard-working, smart ones are quitting or going to other counties. I was one of the few that voted against full-day Mondays.

Actually, FCPS working conditions and benefits are better, but if you're not happy here, it's probably best for you to discover that on your own.

Many of us with children of our own are happy about the schedule change.

Overpaid???? Most if not all have Master Degrees and their pay scale does not even reach $100,000 after 25 years teaching.

6.5 hours of direct contact with kids- but you are not taking into account the hours and hours of planning that go into putting together lessons. I think the ratio is something like 3 hours of planning or 1 hour of instruction.

Have you ever gone to observe your kid's class? Elementary school teachers are hard working and dedicated to OUR children- I don't know about you, but I want the person educating my children to be able to do his/her job well and be paid accordingly. They should be paid more, not less. They are grossly underpaid, and vastly under appreciated. By extending Mondays to full-day we are asking them to do even more- for the same pay- just so the kids have 5 more minutes of recess, and our we save some money on childcare. I hope their dedication and altruism is not negatively affected by this decision.

Sorry, I am not a teacher- I work for the federal government and have 4 children in FCPS. I am not sure what you mean...

If we really wanted the best for our children and the teachers, we would have full day Mondays AND reduce the class sizes in elementary schools. We would make the job and the lives of the students better. But that's not going to happen because we have to pay for umpteen other things that people think are more important. You all know what those more important things are.

Virginia is a a right to work state...unions have very limited power to influence decisions.

Absolutely! I know how I would feel if I were given more work and asked to work longer hours-for the same pay.

Pay them accordingly, reduce class sizes, and full-day Mondays would be best for OUR children and for us. No wonder US education is going down the drain. The only saving grace of this decision is that I will save $ on daycare.

4kids Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Overpaid???? Most if not all have Master Degrees
> and their pay scale does not even reach $100,000
> after 25 years teaching.
>
> 6.5 hours of direct contact with kids- but you are
> not taking into account the hours and hours of
> planning that go into putting together lessons. I
> think the ratio is something like 3 hours of
> planning or 1 hour of instruction.
>
> ....

So, 6.5 x 3 = 19.5 hours every day of putting together lessons for the 6.5 hours each day of teaching. Thus, according to your sorry ass, teachers are working 26 hours every day. My gosh you are an idiot. No offense

4Kids Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Absolutely! I know how I would feel if I were
> given more work and asked to work longer hours-for
> the same pay.
>
> Pay them accordingly, reduce class sizes, and
> full-day Mondays would be best for OUR children
> and for us. No wonder US education is going down
> the drain. The only saving grace of this decision
> is that I will save $ on daycare.


Yeah, because back in the day our teachers were the best and brightest LOL. And now they're what exactly? Our education is going down the drain because they teach bullshit PC crap and made up history instead of the actual skills and knowledge necessary. They now teach WHAT to think and not HOW to think.

IT'S OFFICIAL, got the email yesterday from FCPS.

Starting in September THIS YEAR it's full day elementary school.

xWdtw Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 4kids Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Overpaid???? Most if not all have Master
> Degrees
> > and their pay scale does not even reach
> $100,000
> > after 25 years teaching.
> >
> > 6.5 hours of direct contact with kids- but you
> are
> > not taking into account the hours and hours of
> > planning that go into putting together
> lessons. I
> > think the ratio is something like 3 hours of
> > planning or 1 hour of instruction.
> >
> > ....
>
> So, 6.5 x 3 = 19.5 hours every day of putting
> together lessons for the 6.5 hours each day of
> teaching. Thus, according to your sorry ass,
> teachers are working 26 hours every day. My gosh
> you are an idiot. No offense





-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elementary teacher here-
4 kids is right. It can take up to 3 hours to plan a 1-hour lesson- it does not mean that we plan for all 6.5 hours- but our day is not over when the kiddos leave. We find resources, prep materials, analyze data, etc.

Also, we have no control about the material that we teach. This is dictated by the VA department of Education's SOLs (Standards of Learning) and FCPS' POS (program of studies). If you are concerned about what the students are being taught, know that we are, too. BTW, how is it not offensive to call someone an idiot?

4Kids Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The 4 million is coming from the frozen teacher
> salaries-and increased class sizes. FCPS teachers
> are paid less than Montgomery, Loundoun, and
> Arlington. Early release Monday provided time for
> teachers to plan for instruction and have
> meetings. So, no raise for the teachers and they
> will now have to stay late for meetings... really?
> No wonder many of the hard-working, smart ones
> are quitting or going to other counties. I was one
> of the few that voted against full-day Mondays.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for your support, 4 Kids. Most teachers voted against full-day Monday. I am glad that at least some parents did, too. My school used to be an 'extended-day' school. The children stayed a full day on Mondays. Because this entailed a longer workday, we received a small stipend. Now we are going back to an extended day schedule, but no stipend. We are asked to work longer hours, for the same pay.

Sometimes a bit of perspective helps.

Many professions spend the majority of their work in planning, getting ready for a project or presentation.

The teaching profession is the opposite of that - most of their workday is spent in "presentation". However, like all good presentations, it requires adequate planning.

Just something to think about.

Good point-

Planning Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sometimes a bit of perspective helps.
>
> Many professions spend the majority of their work
> in planning, getting ready for a project or
> presentation.
>
> The teaching profession is the opposite of that -
> most of their workday is spent in "presentation".
> However, like all good presentations, it requires
> adequate planning.
>
> Just something to think about.


Thanks for pointing that out. I've spent the last few minutes thinking about it. And I'm still for full day Monday.

I work hourly and I charge a handsome fee. I would say that I work 3 hours for every 1 I charge in planning, marketing, and management.

In regards to adding recess time: very rarely do the kids actually only stay out for recess for 15 minutes. Nobody could think that is enough time for an elementary school kid. We do our best to keep them out longer than that - at least 20 minutes. So the statement that the kids are getting more recess is not actually true. Since the task force that made up this plan did not include any teachers, this fact was overlooked.

Also, since the task force did not include teachers, it is likely that FCPS is not realizing that most elementary school teachers that have to see a doctor during school hours schedule those visits for Monday afternoons, so that they do not have to find a sub or have the county pay for a sub. Now, the same teachers and their kids will still need appointments during school hours sometimes, but a sub will have to be paid. This is going to cost a lot of money in sub hours. It would be interesting to see how many elementary teachers put in sick leave slips for Monday afternoons last school year. And middle or high school teachers that have elementary kids also take a half-day on Monday afternoons if they can't get an appointment after school hours so their kids don't miss instruction.

I still have not heard how the planning time is going to be provided to teachers if there are no more art, music or PE instructional hours added.

TeachSchool Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> I still have not heard how the planning time is
> going to be provided to teachers if there are no
> more art, music or PE instructional hours added.


What do high school and middle school teachers do for planning? Planning a subject for elementary school should be really easy for an adult with an IQ above 80.

TeachSchool Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In regards to adding recess time: very rarely do
> the kids actually only stay out for recess for 15
> minutes. Nobody could think that is enough time
> for an elementary school kid. We do our best to
> keep them out longer than that - at least 20
> minutes. So the statement that the kids are
> getting more recess is not actually true. Since
> the task force that made up this plan did not
> include any teachers, this fact was overlooked.
>
> Also, since the task force did not include
> teachers, it is likely that FCPS is not realizing
> that most elementary school teachers that have to
> see a doctor during school hours schedule those
> visits for Monday afternoons, so that they do not
> have to find a sub or have the county pay for a
> sub. Now, the same teachers and their kids will
> still need appointments during school hours
> sometimes, but a sub will have to be paid. This is
> going to cost a lot of money in sub hours. It
> would be interesting to see how many elementary
> teachers put in sick leave slips for Monday
> afternoons last school year. And middle or high
> school teachers that have elementary kids also
> take a half-day on Monday afternoons if they can't
> get an appointment after school hours so their
> kids don't miss instruction.
>
> I still have not heard how the planning time is
> going to be provided to teachers if there are no
> more art, music or PE instructional hours added.

Can't teachers use sick days or days off for medical leave?

Will full day Mondays affect the school calendar?

Nic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------


> Will full day Mondays affect the school calendar?



I mean the calendar already posted on the fcps website. Will it change?

The calendar that is currently posted on the FCPS site is the correct calendar for the '14-'15 school year.

Have they already posted which days in January and February will be snow days and 2-hour delay days? That was so sweet this past year.