2026-2027 calendar updates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really want this change but agree it should start next year. People had to plan.

+1. This is a valid option, but they can't change it this close to the summer when people have made plans and commitments. This upcoming year they should be more willing to actually use the days marked as potential makeup days that are not after the last day of school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone needs to fill out the survey and say as much and indicate you’re okay designating some of the religious holidays as makeup days.

I'm not super comfortable for this option, but I'm OK to short upcoming winter break or next spring break days, assuming that they give us enough ahead-of-time notice. Apparently MCPS is leaning toward a last-minute-notice pattern nowadays...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, I can tell you that many of my colleagues and I travel right before school begins (right before pre-service). It is too late to change the first day of school for 2026. The first day of school is not a day you can ask for a sub- especially at the elementary level. If MCPS needs to start the year earlier in August, they need to start that plan for the 2027-2028 year.

I’m a parent and this whole thing burns for me quite a bit. I can only imagine how offensive this is to teachers. I’m sorry! You deserve to be able to plan your time off like everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone needs to fill out the survey and say as much and indicate you’re okay designating some of the religious holidays as makeup days.

Where is the survey? I didnt see a survey

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe6dfSGZ9aNwxX0ZKJvs-4P2MpWltJMRG5a8Y0KrPPpRTA1PQ/viewform

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone needs to fill out the survey and say as much and indicate you’re okay designating some of the religious holidays as makeup days.

Where is the survey? I didnt see a survey

In yesterday's "MCPS things to know" email.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone needs to fill out the survey and say as much and indicate you’re okay designating some of the religious holidays as makeup days.

I'm not super comfortable for this option, but I'm OK to short upcoming winter break or next spring break days, assuming that they give us enough ahead-of-time notice. Apparently MCPS is leaning toward a last-minute-notice pattern nowadays...

No one is traveling on the days that are just in the middle of the week. Yes some are off observing which is fine, make it an excused absence, but your affecting many fewer people by converting one of these holidays than taking from winter or spring break

[Anonymous]

What no one is talking about is MCPS already designates potential makeup days in next years calendar including April 16 and March 9. What they’re saying in making this change is that they never intended to use those. It’s all for show. Just use the days already designated!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone needs to fill out the survey and say as much and indicate you’re okay designating some of the religious holidays as makeup days.

I'm not super comfortable for this option, but I'm OK to short upcoming winter break or next spring break days, assuming that they give us enough ahead-of-time notice. Apparently MCPS is leaning toward a last-minute-notice pattern nowadays...

No one is traveling on the days that are just in the middle of the week. Yes some are off observing which is fine, make it an excused absence, but your affecting many fewer people by converting one of these holidays than taking from winter or spring break

We don't need to argue with each other. This is subject to personal preference, and you can select multiple options on the google form. We have both agreed that we absolutely want to opt-out Option #1. That's good enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone needs to fill out the survey and say as much and indicate you’re okay designating some of the religious holidays as makeup days.

I'm not super comfortable for this option, but I'm OK to short upcoming winter break or next spring break days, assuming that they give us enough ahead-of-time notice. Apparently MCPS is leaning toward a last-minute-notice pattern nowadays...

AT THIS POINT I prefer using holidays as a first choice and shortening spring and winter break as a second choice. In the future starting earlier is fine, especially if we can know when the prior school year will end at a reasonable time.

Everyone acting like childcare/camp is some 1 percent privilege is completely out of touch. I like in a solidly MC neighborhood in Rockville and basically every family I know with working parents has made a plan for how they will cover that week. For many it’s camp (and a half week is often the worst, because camps will cancel for the full week, so it’s extra hard to find child care for those handful of days) or they run and you have to pay for days you don’t use. I have a friend who is still scrambling to get a refund for a camp that was supposed to run the week after school ends this year, that was canceled before MSDE gave the waiver. The camp moved to a different week, and it’s not coming back. To make people do that again, for another week this same summer, is ridiculous. Many families in our neighborhood also fly overseas and either leave their kids with grandparents or stay the whole summer to get help with childcare. All of these things have been planned for and set up for months and are very expensive to change.

What about high school sports? Will they start even earlier? I don’t actually care about that but it’s just annoying to so many people.

[Anonymous]

I filled out the survey, added a bunch of comments to it, and also wrote to the Board of Ed identifying potential issues and other options. I encourage others to do the same before this action is voted on April 30.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone needs to fill out the survey and say as much and indicate you’re okay designating some of the religious holidays as makeup days.

I'm not super comfortable for this option, but I'm OK to short upcoming winter break or next spring break days, assuming that they give us enough ahead-of-time notice. Apparently MCPS is leaning toward a last-minute-notice pattern nowadays...

No one is traveling on the days that are just in the middle of the week. Yes some are off observing which is fine, make it an excused absence, but your affecting many fewer people by converting one of these holidays than taking from winter or spring break

This.

[Anonymous]

Honestly asking how winter break would be shortened when it pretty much starts on Christmas Eve and ends the day after NYD on most years. In the Marine Corps they used to give us 4 days off for Christmas and then 3 days off for New Years but made all the days in the middle as work days. Unless they make us go to school for 2-3 days in between those two holidays, it's really not possible.

[Anonymous]

Here is the current calendar. MCPS already has designated makeup days but they are basically saying that because they align with the religious holidays they won't actually use them. They do not need to pass a new calendar. They just need to likely add 1 more makeup day in the spring and actually use the days they've already designated. Everyone needs to point this out in their survey: https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/calendar/pdfs/2026-2027/2026-2027-TRADITIONAL-Calendar.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone needs to fill out the survey and say as much and indicate you’re okay designating some of the religious holidays as makeup days.

I'm not super comfortable for this option, but I'm OK to short upcoming winter break or next spring break days, assuming that they give us enough ahead-of-time notice. Apparently MCPS is leaning toward a last-minute-notice pattern nowadays...

AT THIS POINT I prefer using holidays as a first choice and shortening spring and winter break as a second choice. In the future starting earlier is fine, especially if we can know when the prior school year will end at a reasonable time.

Everyone acting like childcare/camp is some 1 percent privilege is completely out of touch. I like in a solidly MC neighborhood in Rockville and basically every family I know with working parents has made a plan for how they will cover that week. For many it’s camp (and a half week is often the worst, because camps will cancel for the full week, so it’s extra hard to find child care for those handful of days) or they run and you have to pay for days you don’t use. I have a friend who is still scrambling to get a refund for a camp that was supposed to run the week after school ends this year, that was canceled before MSDE gave the waiver. The camp moved to a different week, and it’s not coming back. To make people do that again, for another week this same summer, is ridiculous. Many families in our neighborhood also fly overseas and either leave their kids with grandparents or stay the whole summer to get help with childcare. All of these things have been planned for and set up for months and are very expensive to change.

What about high school sports? Will they start even earlier? I don’t actually care about that but it’s just annoying to so many people.

I agree wholeheartedly with your comments on camps. It's not a privilege, it's a necessity in a HCOL area where almost every household needs dual incomes to survive. Especially considering WFH options are becoming increasingly rare. Do I want to pay thousands for camp every summer? No, but I do it because I have to work to put food on the table, a roof over our heads, and all the other myriad expenses that comes with life. At least it's tax deductible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, I can tell you that many of my colleagues and I travel right before school begins (right before pre-service). It is too late to change the first day of school for 2026. The first day of school is not a day you can ask for a sub- especially at the elementary level. If MCPS needs to start the year earlier in August, they need to start that plan for the 2027-2028 year.

It is completely maddening that they would even contemplate starting school earlier in August at this late date.

You mean compared to the constant changes we had this school year with the changes to the June end date and to the makeup days that weren't really make up days. I have no issue with these changes being announced now in April for a schedule to begin slightly earlier in August. Plenty of time for people to adjust.