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The Dunne Dispatch (School Calendar Edition, Part 2) - April 2, 2026
Friends and Neighbors,
I will be holding a Virtual Town Hall with my School Board colleagues Ricardy Anderson (Mason District) and Ilryong Moon (At-Large) to discuss the FCPS school calendar and to hear your voices. It is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7 at 7 PM. Click here to register.
I am extremely grateful for everyone who has provided feedback on the school calendar by email or on social media. I have heard from hundreds of families, students, and staff, who have expressed near-universal opposition to the existing school calendar.
Abraham Lincoln once spoke of "government of the people, by the people, for the people." As an elected official, I am focused on government "for the people"--in modern parlance, operating from a customer-centric perspective. I believe FCPS should approach every issue through the lens of the potential impact on students, families, and teachers. The school calendar clearly fails this test--it imposes unnecessary financial and logistical burdens on families, causing some to consider relocation and others to consider abandoning their careers.
We know that the school calendar can be better because it is better in many parts of the country. We also know that it can be better because the school calendar did not torment or traumatize our parents when we were growing up.
The School Board is accountable and responsible for the school calendar. Virginia Code §22.1-79.1 states "each local school board shall set the school calendar," but the School Board has not voted on the published school calendars for next year (SY2026-27) and the year after (SY2027-28). In yet another respect, FCPS is a clear outlier. It appears every school division in Virginia has voted on their school calendars:
- Arlington approved its two-year school calendar for SY2026-27 and SY2027-28 on February 13, 2025;
- Alexandria approved the SY2027-28 school calendar and made revisions to the SY2026-27 school calendar on December 19, 2025;
- Falls Church City approved its SY2027-28 school calendar on December 9, 2025;
- Loudoun approved its SY2026-27 school calendar on February 25, 2025;
- Prince William approved its SY2026-27 school calendar on December 5, 2025;
- Richmond approved its SY2026-27 school calendar on October 7, 2025;
- Roanoke approved its SY2026-27 school calendar on May 13, 2025; and
- Virginia Beach approved its two-year school calendar for SY2025-26 and SY2026-27 on November 12, 2024.
I look forward to working together to fix the school calendar for our students, families, and staff. Please continue to share your comments and stories with my office at mountvernon@fcps.edu.
Very Respectfully,
 Mateo Dunne, Mount Vernon District Representative
What: School Calendar Virtual Town Hall
Hosts: Mateo Dunne, Ricardy Anderson, and Ilryong Moon
When: Tuesday, April 7 at 7:00 PM
Register: Scan the QR code or register at
https://bit.ly/CalendarTownHall
The views contained within this newsletter reflect the views of the individual school board member who is the publisher of this newsletter and may not reflect the views of the Fairfax County School Board.
© Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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