Fairfax County Public Schools have 10 snow days in their calendar. MCPS should take note.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make up the days before May. Before spring testing season. Not in June.

+billion

+yup.

And I wish summer vacation was <2 mos too...

With winter going the way it is everyone should wish for a longer summer!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS currently has a bill going to the MD State Legislature asking if we can meet EITHER hours or days, but not both. They are hoping it will be addressed this legislative session:

https://www.montgomerycountydelegation.com/leg26/mc14-26

It is important to contact your state legislators (using your address to determine who they are) to encourage them to pass this bill. There is really no reason whatsoever that school systems should have to meet BOTH requirements.

Yea, no. I don't support this. Our kids need more time in schools, not less. This just gives MCPS more excuses.

Maryland requires 90 more hours for Elementary and Middle schools and 180 more hours at High schools than Virginia. If that occurs in 170-175 days it's the same amount of time. This allows room for religious holidays in case many fall on weekdays like this year and increases the snow day buffer. With that said they should make up days before June this year but the rule should change with the 26-27 year. Summer is getting too short! Summer 2026 for teachers is only June 19-August 16 (LESS THAN TWO MONTHS) and that is if school ends June 17 or 18. If it gets to June 22 it's even shorter! If the law is changed I suggest next school year start a week later and end at the same time as planned.

Let me guess... you're a teacher?

Good guess but no. Summers are getting shorter in MCPS which seems to becoming an issue throughout the DMV. FCPS summers have also gotten shorter and LCPS seems to be going that way too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not really. FCPS just has contingency days, like MCPS.

No, they don't. The difference is that VA schools only have to meet the designated number of HOURS per year, not days. In Maryland, all counties except Anne Arundel County have to meet BOTH an hourly and a daily requirement. If we only had to meet the hourly requirement (as is now true in Anne Arundel County), we would also have 10+ days to spare. We easily meet the hourly requirement, well before 180 days.

That's a different issue than what the OP brought up. They mentioned that FCPS has 10 built-in snow days. While that's true, they're functionally equivalent to the contingency days that MCPS has. Though, in the case of FCPS, the days get taken off if there aren't snow days, while in MCPS they get added if there are. My understanding is that FCPS tries to do a 1:1 make-up of snow days, even if they otherwise have enough hours. I don't live there, though, so I'm not certain of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS currently has a bill going to the MD State Legislature asking if we can meet EITHER hours or days, but not both. They are hoping it will be addressed this legislative session:

https://www.montgomerycountydelegation.com/leg26/mc14-26

It is important to contact your state legislators (using your address to determine who they are) to encourage them to pass this bill. There is really no reason whatsoever that school systems should have to meet BOTH requirements.

Yea, no. I don't support this. Our kids need more time in schools, not less. This just gives MCPS more excuses.

+1. With all the testing they do, they already don't get through the full curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS currently has a bill going to the MD State Legislature asking if we can meet EITHER hours or days, but not both. They are hoping it will be addressed this legislative session:

https://www.montgomerycountydelegation.com/leg26/mc14-26

It is important to contact your state legislators (using your address to determine who they are) to encourage them to pass this bill. There is really no reason whatsoever that school systems should have to meet BOTH requirements.

Yea, no. I don't support this. Our kids need more time in schools, not less. This just gives MCPS more excuses.

+1. With all the testing they do, they already don't get through the full curriculum.

MCPS always wants to give the least possible instructional time. Like all those stupid half days in end June last year because they refused to use the makeup days in the calendar that would have required school days when instruction was going on. Kids are missing out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not really. FCPS just has contingency days, like MCPS.

Well, I did hear on WTOP this morning that FCPS sits comfortable, because they do have 10 extra days already built in their calendar because of snow emergencies etc. MCPS has 1.

FCPS starts one week earlier in August than MCPS. They do close a lot for the snow like MCPS does but they built it into the calendar much better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not really. FCPS just has contingency days, like MCPS.

Well, I did hear on WTOP this morning that FCPS sits comfortable, because they do have 10 extra days already built in their calendar because of snow emergencies etc. MCPS has 1.

FCPS starts one week earlier in August than MCPS. They do close a lot for the snow like MCPS does but they built it into the calendar much better.

FCPS has so many ridiculous off days this year that their school year is basically year round. I would not use FCPS as a comparison because of their Swiss cheese calendar! Another Virginia district would probably be a good comparison but Virginia law is far easier than Maryland law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS currently has a bill going to the MD State Legislature asking if we can meet EITHER hours or days, but not both. They are hoping it will be addressed this legislative session:

https://www.montgomerycountydelegation.com/leg26/mc14-26

It is important to contact your state legislators (using your address to determine who they are) to encourage them to pass this bill. There is really no reason whatsoever that school systems should have to meet BOTH requirements.

Yea, no. I don't support this. Our kids need more time in schools, not less. This just gives MCPS more excuses.

Cite evidence that more school days increases achievement. There is none!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS currently has a bill going to the MD State Legislature asking if we can meet EITHER hours or days, but not both. They are hoping it will be addressed this legislative session:

https://www.montgomerycountydelegation.com/leg26/mc14-26

It is important to contact your state legislators (using your address to determine who they are) to encourage them to pass this bill. There is really no reason whatsoever that school systems should have to meet BOTH requirements.

Yea, no. I don't support this. Our kids need more time in schools, not less. This just gives MCPS more excuses.

Cite evidence that more school days increases achievement. There is none!

Look at Pisa scores. Schools with higher scores than the US also have longer school days.

[Anonymous]

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-a-difference-a-day-makes-how-schools-can-harness-more-learning-time/2023/12

To help students regain academic ground lost during the pandemic, schools have often rearranged their class schedules to eke out more time for instruction in individual subjects. But new research suggests adding extra time to the school calendar—rather than rescheduling classes—is what really adds up for students over time.