When will 2023-24 calendar be finalized?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s ridiculous that they do this so late. They need to have this decided much earlier.

It is always done at this time of year. The policy says they need to finalize the following year's calendar by the end of December.

There needs to be some consistency in the start week from year to year so that families and MCPS staff can plan. Didn't we just go back to a pre-Labor day start a couple years ago? December is fine for rubber-stamping a calendar consistent with the current school year, but if admin and the BOE favor an earlier start, this sort of change should be decided earlier or they should take this opportunity to give everyone a heads-up that this is what they would be favoring for the 2024/25 school year.

I think that could definitely happen. They'd stick with starting on the 28th in 2023, with a tentative plan to start the week before that in 2024.

I really don’t understand why they’d start a week earlier in 2024. Survey results revealed there wasn’t a lot of preference for that, one week isn’t going to make that much difference for the “kids taking APs” folks. They basically did a giant exercise in exploring what various interest groups and constituents want and discovered that there isn’t a huge appetite for shifting the calendar much at all. Even starting on the 23rd in 2023 wouldn’t accomplish much other than possibly include a brief Feb break and appear like a compromise to Smondrowski and the small group of early-start advocates. I don’t think a half week shift is doing squat for kids taking APs.

And they didn't even float a longer February break as an option (right?), which I think a lot of people would support!

They had a 4- or 5-day weekend in February in several of the scenarios.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s ridiculous that they do this so late. They need to have this decided much earlier.

It is always done at this time of year. The policy says they need to finalize the following year's calendar by the end of December.

There needs to be some consistency in the start week from year to year so that families and MCPS staff can plan. Didn't we just go back to a pre-Labor day start a couple years ago? December is fine for rubber-stamping a calendar consistent with the current school year, but if admin and the BOE favor an earlier start, this sort of change should be decided earlier or they should take this opportunity to give everyone a heads-up that this is what they would be favoring for the 2024/25 school year.

I think that could definitely happen. They'd stick with starting on the 28th in 2023, with a tentative plan to start the week before that in 2024.

I really don’t understand why they’d start a week earlier in 2024. Survey results revealed there wasn’t a lot of preference for that, one week isn’t going to make that much difference for the “kids taking APs” folks. They basically did a giant exercise in exploring what various interest groups and constituents want and discovered that there isn’t a huge appetite for shifting the calendar much at all. Even starting on the 23rd in 2023 wouldn’t accomplish much other than possibly include a brief Feb break and appear like a compromise to Smondrowski and the small group of early-start advocates. I don’t think a half week shift is doing squat for kids taking APs.

And they didn't even float a longer February break as an option (right?), which I think a lot of people would support!

They had a 4- or 5-day weekend in February in several of the scenarios.

They should make it a week. People are ready to travel and see family again. Winter break has become too expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s ridiculous that they do this so late. They need to have this decided much earlier.

It is always done at this time of year. The policy says they need to finalize the following year's calendar by the end of December.

There needs to be some consistency in the start week from year to year so that families and MCPS staff can plan. Didn't we just go back to a pre-Labor day start a couple years ago? December is fine for rubber-stamping a calendar consistent with the current school year, but if admin and the BOE favor an earlier start, this sort of change should be decided earlier or they should take this opportunity to give everyone a heads-up that this is what they would be favoring for the 2024/25 school year.

I think that could definitely happen. They'd stick with starting on the 28th in 2023, with a tentative plan to start the week before that in 2024.

I really don’t understand why they’d start a week earlier in 2024. Survey results revealed there wasn’t a lot of preference for that, one week isn’t going to make that much difference for the “kids taking APs” folks. They basically did a giant exercise in exploring what various interest groups and constituents want and discovered that there isn’t a huge appetite for shifting the calendar much at all. Even starting on the 23rd in 2023 wouldn’t accomplish much other than possibly include a brief Feb break and appear like a compromise to Smondrowski and the small group of early-start advocates. I don’t think a half week shift is doing squat for kids taking APs.

And they didn't even float a longer February break as an option (right?), which I think a lot of people would support!

They had a 4- or 5-day weekend in February in several of the scenarios.

They should make it a week. People are ready to travel and see family again. Winter break has become too expensive.

I would not support opening school a week early, or running a week later into June in exchange for a February break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s ridiculous that they do this so late. They need to have this decided much earlier.

It is always done at this time of year. The policy says they need to finalize the following year's calendar by the end of December.

There needs to be some consistency in the start week from year to year so that families and MCPS staff can plan. Didn't we just go back to a pre-Labor day start a couple years ago? December is fine for rubber-stamping a calendar consistent with the current school year, but if admin and the BOE favor an earlier start, this sort of change should be decided earlier or they should take this opportunity to give everyone a heads-up that this is what they would be favoring for the 2024/25 school year.

I think that could definitely happen. They'd stick with starting on the 28th in 2023, with a tentative plan to start the week before that in 2024.

I really don’t understand why they’d start a week earlier in 2024. Survey results revealed there wasn’t a lot of preference for that, one week isn’t going to make that much difference for the “kids taking APs” folks. They basically did a giant exercise in exploring what various interest groups and constituents want and discovered that there isn’t a huge appetite for shifting the calendar much at all. Even starting on the 23rd in 2023 wouldn’t accomplish much other than possibly include a brief Feb break and appear like a compromise to Smondrowski and the small group of early-start advocates. I don’t think a half week shift is doing squat for kids taking APs.

And they didn't even float a longer February break as an option (right?), which I think a lot of people would support!

They had a 4- or 5-day weekend in February in several of the scenarios.

They should make it a week. People are ready to travel and see family again. Winter break has become too expensive.

I would not support opening school a week early, or running a week later into June in exchange for a February break.

Me neither!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s ridiculous that they do this so late. They need to have this decided much earlier.

It is always done at this time of year. The policy says they need to finalize the following year's calendar by the end of December.

There needs to be some consistency in the start week from year to year so that families and MCPS staff can plan. Didn't we just go back to a pre-Labor day start a couple years ago? December is fine for rubber-stamping a calendar consistent with the current school year, but if admin and the BOE favor an earlier start, this sort of change should be decided earlier or they should take this opportunity to give everyone a heads-up that this is what they would be favoring for the 2024/25 school year.

I think that could definitely happen. They'd stick with starting on the 28th in 2023, with a tentative plan to start the week before that in 2024.

I really don’t understand why they’d start a week earlier in 2024. Survey results revealed there wasn’t a lot of preference for that, one week isn’t going to make that much difference for the “kids taking APs” folks. They basically did a giant exercise in exploring what various interest groups and constituents want and discovered that there isn’t a huge appetite for shifting the calendar much at all. Even starting on the 23rd in 2023 wouldn’t accomplish much other than possibly include a brief Feb break and appear like a compromise to Smondrowski and the small group of early-start advocates. I don’t think a half week shift is doing squat for kids taking APs.

And they didn't even float a longer February break as an option (right?), which I think a lot of people would support!

This is what I want! A week in February.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because of when various holidays will occur in 2024-25, and because of Election Day, they will likely have to start or end earlier that year in order to accommodate the same kind of schedule they're working on now for 2023-24.

Right, although they don’t have to give the same extra number of professional days next year. People love to act as though once it’s done once, precedent overrides sensible decision making.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because of when various holidays will occur in 2024-25, and because of Election Day, they will likely have to start or end earlier that year in order to accommodate the same kind of schedule they're working on now for 2023-24.

Right, although they don’t have to give the same extra number of professional days next year. People love to act as though once it’s done once, precedent overrides sensible decision making.

So tell people now then. Don’t wait until December 2023/January 2024 to announce. I’ve never lived somewhere where they were always messing with the school calendar so frequently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because of when various holidays will occur in 2024-25, and because of Election Day, they will likely have to start or end earlier that year in order to accommodate the same kind of schedule they're working on now for 2023-24.

Right, although they don’t have to give the same extra number of professional days next year. People love to act as though once it’s done once, precedent overrides sensible decision making.

So tell people now then. Don’t wait until December 2023/January 2024 to announce. I’ve never lived somewhere where they were always messing with the school calendar so frequently.

I think they've been pretty consistent the past 15 years in starting the week before Labor Day, except for those 3 years they were required to start after because of Hogan's mandate. The last day of school has always been in the teens of June as long as I can remember.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because of when various holidays will occur in 2024-25, and because of Election Day, they will likely have to start or end earlier that year in order to accommodate the same kind of schedule they're working on now for 2023-24.

Right, although they don’t have to give the same extra number of professional days next year. People love to act as though once it’s done once, precedent overrides sensible decision making.

So tell people now then. Don’t wait until December 2023/January 2024 to announce. I’ve never lived somewhere where they were always messing with the school calendar so frequently.

Same here. It’s annoying and unnecessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because of when various holidays will occur in 2024-25, and because of Election Day, they will likely have to start or end earlier that year in order to accommodate the same kind of schedule they're working on now for 2023-24.

Right, although they don’t have to give the same extra number of professional days next year. People love to act as though once it’s done once, precedent overrides sensible decision making.

So tell people now then. Don’t wait until December 2023/January 2024 to announce. I’ve never lived somewhere where they were always messing with the school calendar so frequently.

I think they've been pretty consistent the past 15 years in starting the week before Labor Day, except for those 3 years they were required to start after because of Hogan's mandate. The last day of school has always been in the teens of June as long as I can remember.

So this would represent a third major change in, what, 8 years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because of when various holidays will occur in 2024-25, and because of Election Day, they will likely have to start or end earlier that year in order to accommodate the same kind of schedule they're working on now for 2023-24.

Right, although they don’t have to give the same extra number of professional days next year. People love to act as though once it’s done once, precedent overrides sensible decision making.

So tell people now then. Don’t wait until December 2023/January 2024 to announce. I’ve never lived somewhere where they were always messing with the school calendar so frequently.

I think they've been pretty consistent the past 15 years in starting the week before Labor Day, except for those 3 years they were required to start after because of Hogan's mandate. The last day of school has always been in the teens of June as long as I can remember.

So this would represent a third major change in, what, 8 years?

I see it as a minor change (starting the 23rd vs 28th), and they may not even go ahead with it.

[Anonymous]

Put some blame on Hogan for forcing the after Labor Day starts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because of when various holidays will occur in 2024-25, and because of Election Day, they will likely have to start or end earlier that year in order to accommodate the same kind of schedule they're working on now for 2023-24.

Right, although they don’t have to give the same extra number of professional days next year. People love to act as though once it’s done once, precedent overrides sensible decision making.

So tell people now then. Don’t wait until December 2023/January 2024 to announce. I’ve never lived somewhere where they were always messing with the school calendar so frequently.

I think they've been pretty consistent the past 15 years in starting the week before Labor Day, except for those 3 years they were required to start after because of Hogan's mandate. The last day of school has always been in the teens of June as long as I can remember.

So this would represent a third major change in, what, 8 years?

I see it as a minor change (starting the 23rd vs 28th), and they may not even go ahead with it.

In my opinion, the 23rd vs 28th is not a minor change to working parents of younger children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Put some blame on Hogan for forcing the after Labor Day starts.

All of the blame for that is on Hogan. Nobody on the BOE was in favor of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because of when various holidays will occur in 2024-25, and because of Election Day, they will likely have to start or end earlier that year in order to accommodate the same kind of schedule they're working on now for 2023-24.

Right, although they don’t have to give the same extra number of professional days next year. People love to act as though once it’s done once, precedent overrides sensible decision making.

So tell people now then. Don’t wait until December 2023/January 2024 to announce. I’ve never lived somewhere where they were always messing with the school calendar so frequently.

I think they've been pretty consistent the past 15 years in starting the week before Labor Day, except for those 3 years they were required to start after because of Hogan's mandate. The last day of school has always been in the teens of June as long as I can remember.

+1

I would like to see them start at the end of the year and work backwards. When we used to have finals for HS courses, the end of year schedule always followed the same pattern. If Memorial Day was very late (https://oldcalendars.com/2010-calendar/ ) The Tues/Wed after were exam review days. Then there were 4 days of exams - 2 per day, morning and afternoon - on the Thurs/Fri/Mon/Tues. Then Wednesday was a make-up day, Thursday the half-day for students, and Friday the professional for teachers when grades were finalized and rooms cleared out. Seniors had exams the week before Memorial Day, and then all of the graduations happened on those 8 days also. If Memorial Day was early (https://oldcalendars.com/2009-calendar/ ) They had an extra week after it, but still ended around June 12.

Establishing the end of the school year to always be 2 weeks after Memorial Day makes better sense for predictability of vacations/camps/summer sports etc. Then calendar planning can map out required days off (including voting) and offer options for starting later with fewer breaks, or starting earlier with more breaks.