2026-2027 calendar updates

[Anonymous]

Reminder that this is the MSDE resolution they are reacting to. It does not require them to do what they're claiming it requires them to do: https://marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/documents/2026/0324/resolution-26-01-on-school-calendar-planning-and-inclement-weather-make-up-days-a.pdf

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I wonder if this proposal is to pressure the union to give up their grading days (switch them to half days) to avoid them having to start earlier?

This got asked and Taylor’s response was basically that it would have to be negotiated but this is the only option within the constraints we have now

Right but I'm pretty sure this is just him playing a game of chicken with the unions. "Agree to cut back your grading/planning or we'll make you start work a week earlier."

Otherwise there's no good reason why they would have picked starting the school year earlier over shortenu winter or spring break. Starting early is obviously worse (on short notice, that is-- I think it may be the better option in the long term, but it's ridiculous for him to say they aren't recommending cutting back on breaks because people have already made plans, when obviously August is much sooner and many more people have already made plans around that.)

That’s your opinion, I disagree. I’m happy that older HS kids will start earlier and get AP instructional time and I’m happy that my kids will start earlier too and hopefully get the education they deserve this year.

Lol at you thinking the first week of school is going to be hardcore instructional time for AP classes.

You know what wasn’t hardcore instructional time? The days that were waived that didn’t allow our kids to get 180 days of instructional time this year and just gave MCPS staff extra days off and shortchanged our kids while the rest of the county went to work. Thank goodness MCPS is trying to do better next year.

Troll. If not, time to take a Xanax.

You sound like you got your medical degree from Trump university. At the very least, you could use some medication of your own if you think that everyone who wants their kid to get an education deserves to be drugged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reminder that this is the MSDE resolution they are reacting to. It does not require them to do what they're claiming it requires them to do: https://marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/documents/2026/0324/resolution-26-01-on-school-calendar-planning-and-inclement-weather-make-up-days-a.pdf

They actually actively do not do what this suggests -- other than 12/23, all the makeup days are after the last day of school.

"BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Maryland State Board of Education hereby charges the State Superintendent of Schools to develop and issue guidance for LEAs for the 2026–2027 school year addressing best practices in calendar design, including the placement and communication of inclement weather and natural/civil disaster make-up days and an emphasis that inclement weather and natural/civil disaster make-up days not be identified after the last day of school established in the adopted calendar; "

[Anonymous]

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If you don’t think instructional time from teachers is important to educational outcomes, feel free to withdraw your kids and home school them. McPS parents want their kids to have the same 180 days as kids in the rest of the country, not the clusterf*** that occurred this year.

The whole country doesn't do 180 days, many states don't only a small handful require 180 separate calendar days.

You act like it's magic as soon as they reach day 180. Days before Christmas were useless, days added at the end of the year regardless of when the end is are useless. There are never 180 days of education in a year, 180 days of school? Yeah but not all days are educational.

You know what isn’t magic? MCPS test scores. Until more than half of MCPS kids can read at grade level and more than a third can do math at grade level, it is insane to to talk about cutting kids’ instructional time further. Good for McPS for putting in an appropriate number of snow days for next year.

[Anonymous]

This is great. Our calendar will be the same as FCPS. MCPS has finally learned that to have all the religious holidays and all the teacher non-instructional days and a reasonable number of snow days, they have to start earlier in August.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is great. Our calendar will be the same as FCPS. MCPS has finally learned that to have all the religious holidays and all the teacher non-instructional days and a reasonable number of snow days, they have to start earlier in August.

Agree that would be great for 2027-2028. But they can't pull this on parents and teachers now that they have already made summer plans leading into the 2026-2027 school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is great. Our calendar will be the same as FCPS. MCPS has finally learned that to have all the religious holidays and all the teacher non-instructional days and a reasonable number of snow days, they have to start earlier in August.

Agree that would be great for 2027-2028. But they can't pull this on parents and teachers now that they have already made summer plans leading into the 2026-2027 school year.

Parents adjusted their calendars plenty to this messed up schedule year. Announcing that McPS will start a few days early several months in advance will be no big deal for most families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is great. Our calendar will be the same as FCPS. MCPS has finally learned that to have all the religious holidays and all the teacher non-instructional days and a reasonable number of snow days, they have to start earlier in August.

Agree that would be great for 2027-2028. But they can't pull this on parents and teachers now that they have already made summer plans leading into the 2026-2027 school year.

Parents adjusted their calendars plenty to this messed up schedule year. Announcing that McPS will start a few days early several months in advance will be no big deal for most families.

What? Yes it is -- for families and teachers.

[Anonymous]

If it means they extend the football season by an extra game then i am all for it. More football is always a good thing

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:The superintendent’s recommendation is to start school earlier. They’re refusing to take holidays. I hate it here. (Listening to the board now)

OMG

If Thomas Taylor messes with my beach trip he is dead to me

Don’t cancel your beach trip. If they go through with this there will be so many absences that first week.

Yeah, this. And a lot of them will be teachers.

Well since teachers got an extra 5 paid holidays this year due to all the snow days they can just deal with starting a week earlier next year so our kids can actually get 180 days of education.

Your kids are starting early too,you moron. We won't have any teachers left because of ignorant parents like yourself.

Oh really genius? Because we were all confused and thought these school calendar changes only applied to kids of teachers. /s

Maybe if you had gotten a better education you wouldn’t be spending your time on the internet calling people names.

DP-you really got 'em! /s

You're the one blaming teachers for snow days beyond their control but go off. Grow up.

I am a grown up whose tax dollars pay the salaries of these teachers who were gifted an extra week of vacation this year. But now it’s time for them to get back to work. Only 1/3 of MCPS kids can do math at grade level and to accommodate the gazillion teacher development days and grading days and actually include more than 1 snow day, starting 1 week earlier (like FCPS does) was an obvious solution.

lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, they can have the PD days. Make them a half day or a full day. I’d rather be teaching than sitting in county designed PD. Quarter planning days are actually valuable to us though. The transition day? That can go too.
However, spread that Google Form out and get the feedback. I doubt it will do much good, but a lack of response just makes it easier for them to justify their actions

This…

Additionally, give three early release days for conferences making that Wednesday before Thanksgiving an instructional early release day.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Make all early release days full days. Get rid of transition day. Make April 22 a school day (and I'm Jewish), etc.

Making ER days full days does not help because that doesn't add to the total number of days. They are short on days, not hours.

In VA it would make a difference since they count hours versus days

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is great. Our calendar will be the same as FCPS. MCPS has finally learned that to have all the religious holidays and all the teacher non-instructional days and a reasonable number of snow days, they have to start earlier in August.

Agree that would be great for 2027-2028. But they can't pull this on parents and teachers now that they have already made summer plans leading into the 2026-2027 school year.

Parents adjusted their calendars plenty to this messed up schedule year. Announcing that McPS will start a few days early several months in advance will be no big deal for most families.

That's ridiculous. We personally can (grudgingly) change our plans (if you are reading, please let us know ASAP MCPS because costs keep going up). But plane tickets are usually not easily refundable and can be expensive to change. We have a huge international population that takes advantage of the summer months to see family abroad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is great. Our calendar will be the same as FCPS. MCPS has finally learned that to have all the religious holidays and all the teacher non-instructional days and a reasonable number of snow days, they have to start earlier in August.

Agree that would be great for 2027-2028. But they can't pull this on parents and teachers now that they have already made summer plans leading into the 2026-2027 school year.

Parents adjusted their calendars plenty to this messed up schedule year. Announcing that McPS will start a few days early several months in advance will be no big deal for most families.

That's ridiculous. We personally can (grudgingly) change our plans (if you are reading, please let us know ASAP MCPS because costs keep going up). But plane tickets are usually not easily refundable and can be expensive to change. We have a huge international population that takes advantage of the summer months to see family abroad.

+1. And a lot of families plan vacations that week due to the lack of end-of-summer camp options, but I'm sure Taylor et al. are blissflully unaware of this. I'm 100% on board with an earlier start in 2027-2028 but it's super crummy to propose this change for the coming year on such short notice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is great. Our calendar will be the same as FCPS. MCPS has finally learned that to have all the religious holidays and all the teacher non-instructional days and a reasonable number of snow days, they have to start earlier in August.

Agree that would be great for 2027-2028. But they can't pull this on parents and teachers now that they have already made summer plans leading into the 2026-2027 school year.

Parents adjusted their calendars plenty to this messed up schedule year. Announcing that McPS will start a few days early several months in advance will be no big deal for most families.

That's ridiculous. We personally can (grudgingly) change our plans (if you are reading, please let us know ASAP MCPS because costs keep going up). But plane tickets are usually not easily refundable and can be expensive to change. We have a huge international population that takes advantage of the summer months to see family abroad.

It will be like any scheduling change that happens. Some people will be happy and others won’t. But this is easier to adjust to than so many of the other far more last minute MCPS calendar changes.

But you’re in some sort of la la land of the rich if you think a very high share of MCPS students have expensive plane tickets flying internationally for that late August week.