Developing the Virginia Beach City Public Schools calendars is a lengthy and thoughtful process that takes months
to finalize. The coordination and development of the calendar falls under the responsibility of the school division’s Department of School Administration. During the development process, input is requested from staff and parents prior to approval by the School Board. This FAQ is intended to provide insight regarding the calendar process and provide you with answers to questions about the development and adoption of the Virginia Beach City Public Schools standard and year-round school calendars. Should you have a question about the calendars that is not included on this page, please contact Terry Skidmore at terry.skidmore@vbschools.com .
Q. When developing a school calendar is there a minimum number of teaching days that local school divisions are required to offer its students?
Yes. In accordance with state law, Section 22.1-98 of the Code of Virginia, the length of every school's calendar, in every school division, shall be at least 180 teaching days or 990 teaching hours in any school year.
Q. If the state requires a minimum number of 180 instructional days, why does Virginia Beach City Public Schools have a 183-day calendar?
Quite simply, Virginia Beach City Public Schools values increased instructional time. During its April 17, 2001 meeting, the School Board adopted a 183-day calendar which increased the minimum instructional time established by state law. Increasing the calendar by three days was intended to improve opportunity for students to achieve the verified credits required to graduate, in order for all schools to achieve state mandated accreditation by 2006. Since the 2001-2002 school year, the School Board has adopted subsequent school calendars with 183 instructional days.
Q. Since state law requires only 180 instructional days, are the extra three days used for make-up days due to inclement weather?
No. The three additional days above the minimum 180 school calendar are not intended to be used as make-up days due to inclement weather. Should school be cancelled due to inclement weather, make-up days will be at the discretion of the Superintendent. Potential make-up days may include single-day holidays and staff work days. Should these days be insufficient, Spring Break days and Saturdays will be considered. It is within the discretion of the Superintendent to elect not to make up instructional days unless necessary to meet the statutory minimum.
Q. Instead of considering holidays and Spring Break days as make-up dates for inclement weather, why not extend the school year?
Although this is a very good suggestion, the need to reserve high school graduation ceremony dates at the Virginia Beach Conference Center far in advance prevents this suggestion as an option. High school graduation dates must be scheduled at the Virginia Beach Conference Center five years in advance. It is difficult, if not impossible, to reschedule graduation during one of the center’s busiest seasons. (High school auditoriums are not used because of space limitations.)
Q. Why does the current school calendar not specifically identify the days that could be used for make-up of lost instructional time?
In most years, there have been no built-in days for inclement weather. The only advantage to building extra days into the calendar is to provide advance notice as to when the days may be scheduled. Instead, we have attempted to alert constituents to the fact that the single day holidays and spring vacation will be considered as makeup days in the event of inclement weather.
Q. How does the superintendent determine what days will be used as make-days for inclement weather?
When determining make-up days, the superintendent seeks input and advice from various constituents and the School Board before making a final decision. As you can imagine there are many opinions on this subject. The effort is made to identify a holiday that is far enough in the future so that individuals have time to make alternate arrangements.
Q. I have noticed that other school divisions in other parts of the state and country start the school year prior to Labor Day, why does Virginia Beach City Public Schools begin school after Labor Day?
In accordance with state law (Section 22.1‑79.1 of the Code of Virginia) public schools are prohibited from starting school prior to Labor Day. However, the Virginia Board of Education can make exceptions to this in cases where a school division has been closed an average of eight days per year during any five of the last 10 years because of
severe weather conditions, energy shortages, power failures, or other emergency.
Q. What is the timeline for the development of a school calendar?
The process for developing and finalizing both the standard and year-round calendars is a collaborative effort that takes approximately 6 months from start to finish. School calendars are typically developed two years in advance for planning purposes for staff, students, and parents. The steps involved in this process include:
Q. Who serves on the Calendar Committee?
The Calendar Committee is comprised of parents, teachers, school administrators and several central office administrators, with classroom teachers having the largest representation on the committee.
Q. The length of days for the Winter Holidays varies from year to year. What is the reason for this?
When Labor Day occurs later, as it did in September 2005 and 2006, there are fewer days between Labor Day and high school graduation ceremony dates. Because of this, the Winter Holiday is typically shorter. However, when Labor Day falls on the first few days of September, it is possible that the Winter Holiday could be longer. Not only does this impact the Winter Holiday, but when Labor Day falls earlier in the month, more options are available when developing the school calendar.
Q. If a single-day holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, will schools be closed on a subsequent weekday as a holiday for students and staff?
Not necessarily. This will vary from year to year based on the observed date of a particular holiday.
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