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The Dunne Dispatch (School Calendar Edition, Part 5) - July 8, 2026
Friends and Neighbors,
I am writing to provide an update on my efforts to restore consistency and sanity to the school calendar. I would also like to solicit your feedback on the proposed calendars for SY 2027-28 and SY 2028-29. Please click here to view the calendars and provide your feedback.
On March 25, I published a comprehensive analysis showing that FCPS has the worst school calendar among large school districts nationwide. It is important to understand that these issues are not the product of bad luck, special elections, or unusual weather. Instead, they are structural and self-inflicted — the result of two decades in which FCPS allowed the school calendar to drift further from the norm of a stable and predictable calendar characterized by five-day school weeks.
Thousands of families have communicated their frustration with the current school calendar. Parents have described the scramble to find childcare on early release days and random day offs, teachers have described the toll that fragmented weeks take on academic momentum, and families of neurodivergent students and students with disabilities have described the negative impacts resulting from the loss of routine and the disruption of mandated services.
I held a Virtual Town Hall with Ricardy Anderson (Mason District) and Ilryong Moon (At Large) to hear directly from families. Hundreds of families participated in the town hall, and over 670 residents took my survey to share their priorities for the school calendar.
I was successful in my efforts to limit the number of early release days in elementary schools. Going forward, there will be a maximum of eight, one at the end of each quarter and four spread throughout the year. (I am grateful for the leadership and support of Melanie Meren (Hunter Mill District), Tom Dannan (Braddock District), and Ricardy Anderson (Mason District) in this regard.)
I was also successful in my efforts to ensure FCPS prioritizes five-day school weeks. I was proud to support the establishment of a new School Board policy (Policy 1344), which states in relevant part:
The Fairfax County School Board is committed to a clear, reliable academic calendar that prioritizes academic and instructional continuity, to the greatest extent possible, in the form of full school weeks. Instructional continuity enhances student engagement in learning while reducing logistical burdens placed on families caused by school closures.
Notably, I co-sponsored a motion with Karl Frisch (Providence District) to strengthen the emphasis on instructional continuity (for example, inserting “each quarter shall prioritize instructional continuity and avoid fragmented weeks”).
For the first time, the School Board has a policy to govern the school calendar, and it prioritizes five-day school weeks and instructional continuity. (I am grateful for the efforts of the Governance Committee under the leadership of Melanie Meren (Hunter Mill District) to develop the draft policy.)
To inform the development of school calendars for SY 2027-28 and SY 2028-29, FCPS recently conducted a survey of families and staff. Over 33,000 families and 14,000 staff participated in the survey, which represents one-fifth of the total number of potential respondents.
- When asked how they viewed the current school calendar, 61% of families and 45% of staff stated that they were somewhat or extremely dissatisfied.
- When asked to identify the most important factors for the school calendar, 50% of families and 20% of staff identified five-day school weeks, and 29% of families and 42% of staff identified alignment with Federal holidays.
- When asked to identify their priorities for the school calendar, families and staff identified their highest priorities as a two-week Winter Break and a one-week Spring Break.
I am grateful for everyone who participated in the calendar survey. I believe families and staff have clearly articulated their dissatisfaction with the current school calendar and their strong preference for five-day school weeks.
FCPS recently published its proposed calendars for SY 2027-28 and SY 2028-29. I believe the draft calendars are imperfect, but they move FCPS in the right direction. During a recent School Board meeting, the Superintendent confirmed that the new calendar policy would put us on the right path, but it would not be an overnight fix.
Calendar Comparison
Going forward, I am focused on ensuring strict adherence to the new calendar policy and its emphasis on five-day weeks and instructional continuity, which promote academic achievement and rigor. The School Board plans to review the school calendar every year, so I will remain vigilant and hold FCPS accountable for compliance with the new calendar policy. In addition, I will continue to push for further reforms to increase the number of five-day weeks and restore the two weeks of summer that were stolen from families in 2021.
I welcome your feedback on the proposed calendars for SY 2027-28 and SY 2028-29. Please click here to view the calendars and provide your feedback.
Very Respectfully,
 Mateo Dunne, Mount Vernon District Representative
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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