Manassas Park staff propose calendar tweaks for 2025–26, draft 2026–27 keeps two‑week winter break

Dr. Grawser, a district staff presenter, proposed revisions to the 2025–26 school calendar and presented a first draft of the 2026–27 calendar, explaining the changes and how they affect the school year.

For 2025–26, staff recommended moving the parent‑teacher conference day from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 to consolidate days off and reduce disruption, and adding April 6 (the day after spring break) as a teacher work day. Dr. Grawser said adding April 6 bumps the end of the year by one day to preserve the district’s 180‑day instruction requirement, ending the year on an early release day with a teacher workday following.

Staff also proposed four early‑release days (one per quarter) to accommodate required professional learning for teachers while keeping those days as instructional days for students. Dr. Grawser said that approach preserves instructional days while allowing regular professional learning time in shorter daily schedules.

Reviewing the draft 2026–27 calendar, staff said the division could again offer a full two‑week winter break and that the school year would begin around Monday, Aug. 17 and end around Wednesday, June 9 with a workday on Thursday, June 10. Grawser noted some religious observances (Diwali, Rosh Hashanah) fall on weekend dates in that school year and therefore are not listed as division‑closed days.

When a board member asked about how snow days are factored, staff explained calendars are based on a combination of seat hours and days rather than a fixed number of pre‑allocated snow days; the division is building calendars to meet the 180‑day/990‑seat‑hour standard currently in effect.

No formal action on the calendars occurred at the meeting; the board was advised that proposed budget and CIP hearings will include additional opportunities for public comment.