Teachers urge board to restore planning time after calendar change; superintendent defends move to protect instructional minutes

Teachers and parents told the King George County School Board on multiple occasions that a recent calendar change—converting one teacher workday and several half days into student instructional days—was announced without adequate notice and removes planning and professional development time teachers say they need.

Teachers said the change came after a special board meeting held on short notice and that the emailed explanations they later received felt dismissive. “My questions and concerns were never addressed by the superintendent or the chairperson,” said Candace Pultz, a first-grade teacher at Potomac Elementary. Pultz said the change required teachers to prepare packets at the last minute, reduced planning time, and placed additional uncompensated obligations on staff already working outside regular hours.

The teachers’ concerns centered on three concrete effects: (1) one full day and two half days were converted to instructional time, (2) required online training modules (VLA/BLE) must still be completed, and (3) teachers report they have roughly 40 minutes per day for planning—insufficient, they said, to complete grading, report cards and required training. Kate Jones, a third-grade teacher from the Dahlgren District, said the March 7 workday fell during report-card time and was a day staff needed for grading and preparation. Dustin Nichols, a third-grade teacher at Sealson Elementary, described the way the board announced the change—during a weekday special meeting with an email sent Friday afternoon—as a major source of frustration.

Superintendent David Boyd addressed the board and the teachers at the meeting. Boyd said snow and weather closures have cost the division “10 and a half days” and that the district’s priority was to maximize in-person instructional minutes before high-stakes state testing. Boyd said a special meeting allowable under the Code of Virginia was convened on short notice because the earliest effective makeup date aligned with student attendance and was the best option to preserve in-person instruction. “We think that this was the best use of the remaining time we have left,” Boyd said, and added that he was willing to accept responsibility for the decision rather than have students lose classroom time.

Board members acknowledged the teachers’ concerns and several said the division could have communicated better. Members also said they share the goal of retaining teachers and improving teacher working conditions, and that calendar planning for future years should consider teacher training windows earlier in the process.

The board did not take new action on the calendar at the meeting; Dr. Boyd and the board said they would continue to consider teacher feedback when making future scheduling decisions.

Ending

Board members and the superintendent said they will continue dialogue with teachers about scheduling and training time when planning next year’s calendar. No additional calendar votes or reversals were recorded at the meeting.