Board hears four calendar options after 12,000+ survey responses; option A favored
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Summary
Administration presented four proposed 2026 school calendar options and said more than 12,000 stakeholders responded to the survey; Option A (two-week winter break and optional Monday-after-spring-break workday) was the community’s top choice, while staff preferred Option C.
Prince William County Public Schools officials presented four proposed calendars for the 2026 school year on Nov. 18 and shared preliminary survey results showing strong community engagement.
Dr. Stephanie Sullivan, associate superintendent for teaching and learning, explained the calendar options and legal constraints (including the Commonwealth’s student‑day limits and board policies). She told the board the district received "over 12,000 respondents" to the calendar survey and that "choice A was the number 1 choice for the respondents as a whole." Sullivan said parents overwhelmingly chose Option A; staff generally preferred Option C because of concern over the Monday placed after spring break.
Option A: two full weeks of winter break, an extra (optional) teacher workday the Monday after spring break, and a slightly later start because Labor Day falls late.
Option B: begins the school year on Tuesday with an initial unscheduled teacher workday.
Option C: shorter winter break with an earlier end to the school year and retention of the Monday-after‑spring‑break workday preferred by staff.
Option D: alternative placements for the "extra" teacher workday, earlier June release and an 8‑day winter break.
Board members asked for follow-up materials — specifically, sample schedules at elementary, middle and high school levels to show how an extra 30 minutes could be handled, and a closer look at whether other divisions denote half days on their published calendars. Sullivan agreed to provide additional comparative information and sample schedules before the board votes on a final calendar.