MCPS updated calendar is insane

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So why does MCPS include makeup days in the calendar, and then not use them? 3/20 and 4/15 would have been preferable to these June days.

Virtue signaling and teachers' union

Bizarre. Why doesn't anyone require MCPS use the makeup days they have. I'm tired of this annual snow day chaos. I grew up in a far snowier area, and we didn't have these issues of confusion on the calendar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's 2018-2019: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://teacherquality.nctq.org/dmsView/0285_18_2018-19_SchoolCalendar&ved=2ahUKEwjQ7LaSmeiSAxVXFlkFHR48GuQQFnoECBAQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2Bv9-dJpYrnJ4juwux-MaD

Looks like they used to have half days for end of quarter grading/planning instead of full.

They need to go back to that.

Yes, we can't have BOTH full-day grading days and take off every single religious holiday. I don't care which we get rid of, but it has to be one.

Or you start one week earlier in August like FCPS dose, and which also has a lot of religious holidays built in (and 3 snow days, unlike stupid MCPS which only puts in 1). There are a lot of options here that are preferrable to this annual chaos around MCPS snow days.

Where I grew up we had 3 snow days. If they weren't used, school ended earlier. If there were more than 3 snow days, they were added on in June. There wasn't this drama and constantly shifting calendars like MCPS does.

I hate MCPS but FCPS goes by hours so they have a lot of flexibility in their schedule. They added 30min to every day about 10 years ago and didn't have to make up a week of snow days

Going by hours makes so much sense. Why don’t we do that?

[Anonymous]

I’m a teacher. I would be happy to start one week earlier in August - it’s better for AP classes. And I think they should get rid of transition day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's 2018-2019: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://teacherquality.nctq.org/dmsView/0285_18_2018-19_SchoolCalendar&ved=2ahUKEwjQ7LaSmeiSAxVXFlkFHR48GuQQFnoECBAQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2Bv9-dJpYrnJ4juwux-MaD

Looks like they used to have half days for end of quarter grading/planning instead of full.

They need to go back to that.

Yes, we can't have BOTH full-day grading days and take off every single religious holiday. I don't care which we get rid of, but it has to be one.

Or you start one week earlier in August like FCPS dose, and which also has a lot of religious holidays built in (and 3 snow days, unlike stupid MCPS which only puts in 1). There are a lot of options here that are preferrable to this annual chaos around MCPS snow days.

Where I grew up we had 3 snow days. If they weren't used, school ended earlier. If there were more than 3 snow days, they were added on in June. There wasn't this drama and constantly shifting calendars like MCPS does.

I hate MCPS but FCPS goes by hours so they have a lot of flexibility in their schedule. They added 30min to every day about 10 years ago and didn't have to make up a week of snow days

Going by hours makes so much sense. Why don’t we do that?

Because the rest of the country does 180 days in school and because half the kids in MCPS can't read or do math at grade level. But if we're following FCPS as an example, can we start 1 week earlier in August than MCPS currently does like they do? FCPS has several snow days built into their calendar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a teacher. I would be happy to start one week earlier in August - it’s better for AP classes. And I think they should get rid of transition day.

It's also better for state testing, which impacts most students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a teacher. I would be happy to start one week earlier in August - it’s better for AP classes. And I think they should get rid of transition day.

Either get rid of transition day or make it a 1/2 day the week prior to school starting for everyone else, not on a Monday.

[Anonymous]

Please let us start earlier in August and put some more snow days in the calendar, so this doesn't keep happening every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For anyone who wants to email state reps, here is the info:
Official Bill Number: HB1084 (2026)
Title: Montgomery County – County Board of Education – School Operation Requirements
Summary: Authorizes Montgomery County to meet either the minimum school day count or the minimum instructional hours requirement.

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Why would we do this? This is NOT a state issues. This is a MCPS issue and it has been for decades. If MCPS is not using the 3 make-up days and the state allowed President's Day to be used and we also didn't use that day or Tuesday - what else should the state do? Just allow MCPS to continue to be an absolute train wreck and go to school less days than all of the other counties?

Exactly!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For anyone who wants to email state reps, here is the info:
Official Bill Number: HB1084 (2026)
Title: Montgomery County – County Board of Education – School Operation Requirements
Summary: Authorizes Montgomery County to meet either the minimum school day count or the minimum instructional hours requirement.

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Why would we do this? This is NOT a state issues. This is a MCPS issue and it has been for decades. If MCPS is not using the 3 make-up days and the state allowed President's Day to be used and we also didn't use that day or Tuesday - what else should the state do? Just allow MCPS to continue to be an absolute train wreck and go to school less days than all of the other counties?

Exactly!!!

MCPS had 3 makeup days it opted not to use. They've screwed themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So why does MCPS include makeup days in the calendar, and then not use them? 3/20 and 4/15 would have been preferable to these June days.

They are trying to get a waiver of the 180 days requirement. It’s a gambit. It appears so outrageous, and then they just want out of the days requirement. The state legislature may actually do it…even though they are not using the designated back up days.

It was already denied yesterday. The state has had it with MCPS entitlement

[Anonymous]

Nothing irks me more than Maryland having the state holidays of Good Friday and Easter Monday. Spring Break should be between 3/4th marking period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please let us start earlier in August and put some more snow days in the calendar, so this doesn't keep happening every year.

If we keep shrinking the summer so much, just get rid of it at this point. My high schoolers go until June 25th and start fall sports practices the beginning of August. So that’s one month off now. Shorter if you want them to start earlier in Aug.

So just make everyone have a one month summer and then every religion, culture, federal, and state holiday can be off too. On top of the staff days home to grade too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently the state legislature may change the law to allow / account for hours, not just days and that we may revert to the June 18th as the final day. I guess it all just depends what the general assembly decides in the coming weeks. This way, the COMAR stipulations cited would not automatically apply in the denial.

That would be a terrible legal change. I doubt that would pass.

It would look like a bad cop out for this year but it should change effectively July 1, 2026. Thus what is happening this year should not be able to happen again regardless of how severe the winter goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please let us start earlier in August and put some more snow days in the calendar, so this doesn't keep happening every year.

If we keep shrinking the summer so much, just get rid of it at this point. My high schoolers go until June 25th and start fall sports practices the beginning of August. So that’s one month off now. Shorter if you want them to start earlier in Aug.

So just make everyone have a one month summer and then every religion, culture, federal, and state holiday can be off too. On top of the staff days home to grade too.

Oh calm down. Having 8 weeks of summer rather than 9 weeks of summer isn’t going to harm kids. Lots of districts start earlier in August. And then McPS can close for every snowflake or speck of ice, having embedded 4 snow days into the calendar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So why does MCPS include makeup days in the calendar, and then not use them? 3/20 and 4/15 would have been preferable to these June days.

They are trying to get a waiver of the 180 days requirement. It’s a gambit. It appears so outrageous, and then they just want out of the days requirement. The state legislature may actually do it…even though they are not using the designated back up days.

It was already denied yesterday. The state has had it with MCPS entitlement

MCPS is pushing emergency bill right now in state legislature to override