The standard school year of 990 instructional hours sells our students short. We must raise that number to at least 1,080 hours and require that school divisions meet both the 180 day and 1,080 instructional hour standards to be accredited.

The 990 hour standard places Virginia in the bottom 10 states in the nation for instructional time. School divisions in northern Virginia have been using the tiny 990 hour requirement to short-change our kids, creating calendars that are less than 180 days and creating shortened school days for elementary students rather than paying teachers for the additional hours they need to plan. The state government needs to step in and make sure our kids get the time in school that they deserve.

My 5th grade son can barely write while his friend who moved to Catholic school last year is able to write right on grade level.  The difference in the standards, and the results, of FCPS vs private schools is staggering.