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Stafford students will head back to class before Labor Day starting in 2019

STAFFORD — Stafford County Public Schools students will head back to class before Labor Day next year.

The School Board voted in favor of a pre-Labor Day calendar with a result of 5-2.

The 2019-2020 school calendar shows the first semester will start on August 12 and end on December 20, before Winter Break, with a Professional Day on January 6, 2020.

The Winter Break will start on December 23 and end on January 3, 2020. The second semester will begin on January 7 and end on May 27 with a Professional Day on February 14. Spring Break will start on March 16 and end March 20.

The 2020-2021 calendar will include a pre-Labor Day start as well. The first semester will start on August 10 and end on December 18 with a Professional Day on January 4. The Winter Break will start on December 21 and end on January 1. The second semester will begin on January 4 and end on May 26. Spring Break will begin on March 15 and end March 19.

School Board member Irene Egan, Aquia District, motioned for the early start during Tuesday night’s meeting. Meanwhile, Dwyane McOsker, George Washington District, motioned for the post-Labor Day start. Egan’s motion was seconded by Holly Hazard, Hartwood District, McOsker’s motion was not seconded and failed right as the discussion took place.

“I think everyone knows my position on this, it’s not because other people are doing it or anything else…I’ve heard from my constituents, I’ve heard from the teachers in my district and while all of you have your people that you have to represent I’m representing mine,” said Egan. “The majority of my district would like the pre-Labor Day start and that’s what I’m voting for.”

School Board member Dr. Sarah Chase, Falmouth District, was also a supporter in the pre-Labor Day start citing her focus to the question was instruction

“I began by calling principals in my district asking them that if there was any instructional reason for them to favor one calendar over the other,” said Chase. “I heard no instructional reasons in favor of starting after Labor Day. However, I heard a number of instructional reasons for starting before Labor Day.”

McOsker, still in favor of a post-Labor Day start listed a “ McOsker’s Top 10 Reasons Why I Don’t Support a Pre-Labor Day Start.” The highlights of his list include an increase of electric bills and how an earlier start does not increase test scores.

“As we have heard let’s get back to teaching because there is absolutely no testing data to support any benefit from starting before Labor Day,” said McOsker. “Right now we have 266 buses in Stafford County Public Schools, 196 are the mainstream buses, 66 buses are for special needs students and four other buses,” said McOsker. “Only 12 of the 196 mainstream buses have air conditioning, while one of the 66 special needs buses have air conditioning. So if this pre-Labor Day calendar is approved, we will have one year to come up with the money to retrofit our buses which I think is the right thing to do.”

School Board Members that in favor of the calendars included, Egan, Hazard, Chase, Jamie Decatur, Griffis-Widewater District, and Pamela Yeung, Garrisonville District.

School Board Members that were against the calendars included, McOsker and Patricia Healy, Rock Hill District.

Stafford County now joins its neighbor to the north, Prince William County which also starts school before Labor Day.

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