Stafford School Board adopts 2027-28 calendar with 180 school days and religious holidays kept

The Stafford County School Board approved its calendar for the 2027-28 school year on Tuesday, Oct. 27, by a 6-1 vote. The adopted version keeps federal holidays along with the religious and cultural days the division has observed in recent years, including Yom Kippur, Diwali and Eid al-Adha. Vice Chair Sarah Chase, who represents the Falmouth District, cast the lone no vote.

How the vote went

Before the final vote, Chase offered a substitute motion to adopt a different version of the calendar, known as version 3, that would have observed only federal holidays. That motion failed 4-3. Chase, Patricia Healy of the Rock Hill District and Susan Randall of the George Washington District voted for it; Chair Elizabeth Warner, Wanda Blackwell, Shannon Fingerholz and Josh Regan voted against it.

According to reporting by the Fredericksburg Free Press, Chase said the federal-holidays-only option had the support of most parents and teachers in her district who contacted her, and she raised concerns that the adopted calendar recognizes some faiths but not others. Board members who backed the adopted calendar described it as the fairer option, and Warner said the board should not change its recent practice before it finishes reviewing its calendar policy, Potomac Local reported.

The vote came at a special-called meeting and public hearing. Two residents spoke, and both supported keeping the religious holidays. The board also received 24 written comments, 13 of which favored the federal-holidays-only version, according to the Free Press.

More school days

Both calendar options under consideration had 180 instructional days, up from 172 days in the current school year. Division staff have told the board that Stafford exceeds Virginia's alternative standard of 990 instructional hours but has not met the 180-day standard since the 2021-22 school year. Adopting a 180-day calendar is the division's first step toward adding instructional time.

What it means for families

The new calendar takes effect with the 2027-28 school year. The current 2026-27 calendar is not changing, according to Stafford County Public Schools. A separate proposal to restructure the high school schedule, also aimed at meeting state instructional-time requirements, is being considered on its own track.

Sources: Potomac Local; Fredericksburg Free Press; Stafford County Public Schools.