Loudoun County Public Schools -

Parents and staff will likely have questions about how these changes to the calendar may impact their student's education and routines. 

As a reminder, this item has not yet been voted on by the School Board.

• What are stand-alone days?

  • LCPS is considering using the stand-alone days that fall between an already scheduled holiday and the weekend for professional development days for instructional staff. Students would have off these days if approved by the School Board. The days include October 4, 2024, November 4, 2024, January 28, 2025, and June 16, 2025 (this date would not affect student schedules as this falls after the last day of school.) These stand-alone days historically have higher absenteeism rates as many families choose to extend the weekend. 

• Why does LCPS need to utilize these days for professional development? 

  • As a result of new requirements from the state, it is imperative that our students are given the best possible chance for success with this new material. To do that, our teachers need to be trained and equipped to teach the material. Currently, the resources and materials to support the new Mathematics and English standards (grades 6-12) have not been made available to the school divisions. LCPS and school divisions across Virginia share the concern that for Mathematics, and potentially English, standards may be taught and tested for the first time in the same year. This does not set our teachers or students up for success, and we therefore need to take this action to ensure they have the support, training and resources they need.
    
    

• What is teacher professional development? 

1. Teachers and educational staff have required training, or professional development (PD), that they take part in each year. There are generally four types of PD: 

• PD required by state code or law (e.g. Bloodborne Pathogens Training)

• PD required by LCPS Policy (e.g. Policy and Regulation 7560: Professional Conduct Training)

• PD recommended and optional professional Learning (e.g. English Language Development (ELD) Standards for Teachers), and

• New Required Professional Learning based on VDOE Initiatives

  • Virginia Literacy Act Modules

  • Local PD on new ELA core resource

  • ELA and Math Standards

  • Expansion of VALLSS testing

While LCPS has some flexibility on the requirements and delivery in categories in PD related to LCPS policies and recommended PD for educators, our current 2024-2025 school calendar did not account for the additional required need mandated by the recent VDOE announcements. LCPS’ goal is to try to create sufficient time and space for teachers to complete annual required training, meet new requirements by the state, and also have adequate time to plan for implementation of the new standards. 

• When will these proposed changes to the calendar go into effect? 

  • Once the school board votes on a final calendar, LCPS will be able to complete the planning process for adjustments to the schedule. The proposed calendar does not change the first or last day of school as already announced. 

  • The School Board heard the information on May 14, 2024, and the information is scheduled to come before the School Board at the May 28, 2024 meeting. We anticipate sharing a final schedule as quickly as possible once approved by the School Board.
    
    

• What about childcare options for the added days off? 

  • The largest piece of feedback we received regarding the original proposal of 16 adjusted dismissal days was concern about childcare for working parents. While we recognize adding three additional days off will still require parents to find care, our hope is this will be less of a burden while still allowing us to implement strategies that maximize student success which is our top priority. 
    
    

• How will this adjusted calendar benefit my child's education?

  • By allowing educators to be fully informed and trained to deliver quality instruction in line with new state standards, state mandates and expectations, LCPS can offer students the best opportunity for success in the classroom and on state assessments. 
    

• How will the school communicate information about the added stand-alone days to parents?

  • As soon as the school board votes on an updated calendar, all versions of the calendars for students and schools, and staff calendars for all contract lengths, will be updated and posted. In addition, parents will receive a text and email when the new calendars are available. Reminders about the days off will be included in newsletters.
    
    

• Will any bus transportation be provided?

  • LCPS will follow the same bus schedule as all previously scheduled teacher workdays. These schedules will be reflected in ParentVue and in the StopFinder app parents can download. 
    
    

• Will there be impacts to the A/B schedule? 

  • The proposed stand-alone calendar update would include 2-A days and 1-B day. June 16, 2025, is not scheduled for students.
    
    

• Does this reduce the number of instructional days/time for students? 

  • Total learning time will still meet all requirements. We also know that when teachers participate in professional learning, they gain new knowledge and skills that positively impact student learning. Professional learning provides teachers with important knowledge and instructional strategies to improve their practice. The increased training requirements ultimately benefit both teachers and students by enhancing teaching practices, ensuring alignment to state standards and creating a more conducive learning environment.
    
    

• Did LCPS and the School Board get parent and community feedback on this new schedule? 

  • LCPS consulted educators, principals and operational staff on the impacts of any schedule change. The public and staff can contact LCPS to provide additional feedback on the proposed stand-alone days. 

  • An option to provide 16 adjusted arrival days was presented to the School Board on May 14, 2024, however, more than 2000 responses of concern were received from the community resulting in LCPS exploring other options leading to the current proposed schedule. The largest concern with the original adjusted arrival proposal was childcare for working families. Community members suggested alternative solutions to use full-day trainings by using stand-alone days as an alternative. These are the days that are adjacent to holidays and are “sandwiched” between a weekend and a day off for students. 

  • While some suggestions involved early dismissal days, that was not feasible due to the disruption of after-school activities and transportation.
    

• What will using the stand-alone days for professional development cost? 

  • The proposed adjusted calendar would have no additional costs as it does not impact the number of contracted days for teachers. If the teacher contract was increased by four days versus LCPS the current proposal, the cost for an extra four days on teacher contracts would be approximately $17.5M.
    
    

• Will the buildings/facilities be available for use by other groups when students are not present that day? 

  • No, since the school’s use of the building for training and PD will take place during school hours, additional community use will not be approved. 
    

• Why can’t teachers complete the training over the summer instead?

  • Teachers would be unable to complete the necessary training in summer 2024 because we do not anticipate having the resources and materials needed from the state until the fall. For teachers to complete the training in summer of 2025 would be ineffective as it would come after the implementation of the new state requirements. 
    

• Would using built-in snow days be an option?

  • LCPS has a long-standing history, over 30 years, of having a ‘fixed calendar’ which has greatly benefited families and staff by being able to plan for school days, work days, and breaks. Over the last 30 years in education, many school divisions created calendars to meet a minimum requirement, which leads to the need to remove planned days off or extend the school year when inclement weather or other emergencies occur requiring school closures. Instead of continuing with this type of make-up day system, prior division leaders chose the path of a fixed calendar which has remained to this day.
    

LCPS has always put students and instructional learning at the forefront of school calendar development.  Leaders have put a greater focus on the 180-school-day requirement in code, utilizing the additional hours that students attend school as a backup to support the ‘fixed calendar’ concept.  LCPS exceeded 180-school-days from 1990-1991 through 2008-2009, shifting to a 180-school-day calendar from 2009-2010 through 2019-2020.  With the approval of the 2023-24 school calendar, LCPS returned to 180-school-days.  The return to 180 instructional days for students has been a benefit in a post-pandemic environment where learning loss has been a frequent discussion. 

Additionally, School Board Policy 7040 (School Calendar), since its inception in March 1990, has included a statement referring to a “banked time concept to provide for a fixed school calendar”  The current version of this policy included the following:  “At the discretion of the Division Superintendent, schools may be closed because of severe weather conditions or other emergencies. The School Board will utilize the "banked time" concept (hours exceeding 990 hours required for instructional time) to provide for a fixed school calendar.”