Prince William County School leadership presented four proposed school-calendar options and summarized a broad stakeholder survey at the Nov. 18 board meeting, while human-resources staff provided an informational overview of teacher contract lengths across Virginia.

Associate Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Sullivan walked the board through Options A–D, which vary in start dates, placement of an extra teacher workday and the length of winter break. Sullivan told the board that "choice A was the number one choice for the respondents as a whole," and that the division received more than 12,000 survey responses and thousands of comments that informed the recommendation.

Staff highlighted regulatory constraints — including Virginia code that requires schools to provide 180 student days and that school may start no earlier than 14 days before Labor Day — and explained how holiday placement, spring break and a flexible teacher workday factor into each option.

In a separate informational presentation, Chief Human Resources Officer Donna Eagle reviewed contract-day history and regional comparisons. Eagle said PWCS certified staff currently have a seven-hour workday (including a 30-minute lunch) and a 195-day teacher contract for most certified roles; by contrast, she said a majority of divisions in the Commonwealth (110 divisions in a staff survey) use a 7.5-hour workday.

Board members asked for follow-up detail: sample schedules showing how an extra 30 minutes could be structured at elementary, middle and high schools; whether other jurisdictions include half days; and additional teacher-survey results. Administration agreed to provide sample schedules and to follow up with jurisdictional comparisons prior to a future vote on the calendar.