Howard County Changes Calendar: Why can't MCPS also prioritize instruction?

[Anonymous]

In light of the large number of snow days this year, the Howard County Board of Education made the responsible decision to adjust their calendar to prioritize instruction during the school year. They applied for a waiver to hold school on Easter Monday and converted some half days to full days (see attached link) so that they can make up the time and still end the school year by June 18. Why in the world can't the MCPS Board of Education do the same?

https://news.hcpss.org/news-posts/2026/02/board-approves-adjustments-to-2025-2026-school-year-calendar/

[Anonymous]

Of course they did. I am really truly shocked by how little superintendent Taylor and his minions seem to care about losses in instructional time in MCPS. Good for HoCo for prioritizing student learning outcomes over its teacher’s union.

[Anonymous]

Apparently the Maryland state legislature doesn’t give a damn about instructional time either. They gifted McPs staff 5 extra vacation days/snow days rather than requiring them to teach. And let’s keep in mind they 2/3 of McPS kids can’t do math at grade level and 1/2 can’t read at grade level.
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Update on the school calendar issue here in Montgomery County. This week, the Maryland House of Delegates voted unanimously to allow Montgomery County to not extend its calendar one week, to make up for the snow days.

Check here to read about the legislation: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb1084/?ys=2026rs

Now that it has passed in the House of Delegates, it moves to the State Senate. They have to pass it in identical fashion before the Governor has the opportunity to sign it into law. Because we amended it to be "emergency" legislation, when signed it takes effect immediately and will impact this current school year. To be clear, if this bill becomes law, school will not be extended to June 25th as announced.

The nine Senators from Montgomery County have already preliminarily supported the bill. Now, the bill will have a public hearing in the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee. The Chair and Vice Chair of that committee, Brian Feldman and Cheryl Kagan both represent Montgomery County. The committee also includes Katie Fry Hester, from Howard County. who represents parts of Montgomery County.

Reach out to them, as well as the other members of the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee to ask for their support. Find the list of members here: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Committees/Details?cmte=eee

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently the Maryland state legislature doesn’t give a damn about instructional time either. They gifted McPs staff 5 extra vacation days/snow days rather than requiring them to teach. And let’s keep in mind they 2/3 of McPS kids can’t do math at grade level and 1/2 can’t read at grade level.
————————
Update on the school calendar issue here in Montgomery County. This week, the Maryland House of Delegates voted unanimously to allow Montgomery County to not extend its calendar one week, to make up for the snow days.

Check here to read about the legislation: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb1084/?ys=2026rs

Now that it has passed in the House of Delegates, it moves to the State Senate. They have to pass it in identical fashion before the Governor has the opportunity to sign it into law. Because we amended it to be "emergency" legislation, when signed it takes effect immediately and will impact this current school year. To be clear, if this bill becomes law, school will not be extended to June 25th as announced.

The nine Senators from Montgomery County have already preliminarily supported the bill. Now, the bill will have a public hearing in the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee. The Chair and Vice Chair of that committee, Brian Feldman and Cheryl Kagan both represent Montgomery County. The committee also includes Katie Fry Hester, from Howard County. who represents parts of Montgomery County.

Reach out to them, as well as the other members of the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee to ask for their support. Find the list of members here: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Committees/Details?cmte=eee

I just want to know the timeline of this bill and when we will know for sure about the school calendar. People need time to make plans. If there is no school, we need summer camps. We can’t wait until last minute to plan these things

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course they did. I am really truly shocked by how little superintendent Taylor and his minions seem to care about losses in instructional time in MCPS. Good for HoCo for prioritizing student learning outcomes over its teacher’s union.

Yep. MCEA is basically the mafia. No one ever goes against them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently the Maryland state legislature doesn’t give a damn about instructional time either. They gifted McPs staff 5 extra vacation days/snow days rather than requiring them to teach. And let’s keep in mind they 2/3 of McPS kids can’t do math at grade level and 1/2 can’t read at grade level.
————————
Update on the school calendar issue here in Montgomery County. This week, the Maryland House of Delegates voted unanimously to allow Montgomery County to not extend its calendar one week, to make up for the snow days.

Check here to read about the legislation: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb1084/?ys=2026rs

Now that it has passed in the House of Delegates, it moves to the State Senate. They have to pass it in identical fashion before the Governor has the opportunity to sign it into law. Because we amended it to be "emergency" legislation, when signed it takes effect immediately and will impact this current school year. To be clear, if this bill becomes law, school will not be extended to June 25th as announced.

The nine Senators from Montgomery County have already preliminarily supported the bill. Now, the bill will have a public hearing in the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee. The Chair and Vice Chair of that committee, Brian Feldman and Cheryl Kagan both represent Montgomery County. The committee also includes Katie Fry Hester, from Howard County. who represents parts of Montgomery County.

Reach out to them, as well as the other members of the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee to ask for their support. Find the list of members here: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Committees/Details?cmte=eee

I just want to know the timeline of this bill and when we will know for sure about the school calendar. People need time to make plans. If there is no school, we need summer camps. We can’t wait until last minute to plan these things

+1

[Anonymous]

Why can every other jurisdiction either build in a calendar with enough buffer, submit virtual plans, use their make up days, actually clear the snow faster, etc. and MCPS acts like these are impossible solutions and whines for a get out of jail free piece of emergency legislation? This is like in Covid when everyone else figured out how to open and we were the last. The incompetence is unbelievable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course they did. I am really truly shocked by how little superintendent Taylor and his minions seem to care about losses in instructional time in MCPS. Good for HoCo for prioritizing student learning outcomes over its teacher’s union.

Yep. MCEA is basically the mafia. No one ever goes against them.

+1 super glad to be out of mcps in a few months. Obviously, this has zero impact to my senior DC, but if they had been younger, I would've been livid.

MCPS is sucking more and more every year. I don't mean about the boundary changes, but just purely based on academics. We moved here for the schools, but I would never recommend people move here for that anymore. I told my kids that when they have kids, don't come back to MoCo.

[Anonymous]

If the only option on the table for MCPS to make up the time is to add to the end of the school year, it is not useful time and I support the legislative efforts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why can every other jurisdiction either build in a calendar with enough buffer, submit virtual plans, use their make up days, actually clear the snow faster, etc. and MCPS acts like these are impossible solutions and whines for a get out of jail free piece of emergency legislation? This is like in Covid when everyone else figured out how to open and we were the last. The incompetence is unbelievable.

Granted, MCPS is a lot bigger than most school districts, but the calendar change should not be impacted by the school district size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the only option on the table for MCPS to make up the time is to add to the end of the school year, it is not useful time and I support the legislative efforts!

yes, vacation is more important than instruction time. /s

[Anonymous]

^ especially given how the majority of the students aren't on grade level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why can every other jurisdiction either build in a calendar with enough buffer, submit virtual plans, use their make up days, actually clear the snow faster, etc. and MCPS acts like these are impossible solutions and whines for a get out of jail free piece of emergency legislation? This is like in Covid when everyone else figured out how to open and we were the last. The incompetence is unbelievable.

It's pretty stunning--both the idiocy and the incompetence. I am not impressed at all with MCPS these days. I wish we had moved to a school district.

All we have in MCPS is Taylor's snow day videos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why can every other jurisdiction either build in a calendar with enough buffer, submit virtual plans, use their make up days, actually clear the snow faster, etc. and MCPS acts like these are impossible solutions and whines for a get out of jail free piece of emergency legislation? This is like in Covid when everyone else figured out how to open and we were the last. The incompetence is unbelievable.

Granted, MCPS is a lot bigger than most school districts, but the calendar change should not be impacted by the school district size.

NYC has 10x the size of MCPS, 5 boroughs ranging from super dense Manhattan to areas in Queens that require buses, and a much higher poverty rate of its students, and households with lower level of Internet connectivity than MoCo.

Yet it opened Monday the day after the storm for virtual learning, Tuesday for in-person learning. We didn't even open til a week later.

[Anonymous]

Howard County is once again demonstrating how incompetent MCPS and BOE leadership is.

But the Taylor apologists swear he can do no wrong and he’s just so “refreshing.”