How to fit school days into Gov Larry Hogan's ridiculous policy on school start and stop dates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I see no reason to have 11 day Spring Breaks that MCPS has had in the past. Sometimes they come so late in April and AP's are in early May. It is just terrible timing and too many days. I would be completely fine with 2-3 days off. If families want to go away longer, than it is a few missed days of school. Family's choice.

That said, the school districts that are doing away with Spring Break have longer winter breaks, full teacher days off, and Jewish holidays. You can't have them all, nor should a school. Too many days off.

I see no reason to have 11-12 week Summer Breaks.

[Anonymous]

Truthfully, I'd rather pay higher taxes and have more breaks spread out throughout the year than than to have a longer summer break so more tourists visit Ocean City, but I recognize that what works for my family doesn't work for all families. The BOE probably is throwing a hissy fit, but why not solicit feedback and see what people really want?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I see no reason to have 11 day Spring Breaks that MCPS has had in the past. Sometimes they come so late in April and AP's are in early May. It is just terrible timing and too many days. I would be completely fine with 2-3 days off. If families want to go away longer, than it is a few missed days of school. Family's choice.

That said, the school districts that are doing away with Spring Break have longer winter breaks, full teacher days off, and Jewish holidays. You can't have them all, nor should a school. Too many days off.

I see no reason to have 11-12 week Summer Breaks.

That is your preference and a minority one in the state of Maryland. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I see no reason to have 11 day Spring Breaks that MCPS has had in the past. Sometimes they come so late in April and AP's are in early May. It is just terrible timing and too many days. I would be completely fine with 2-3 days off. If families want to go away longer, than it is a few missed days of school. Family's choice.

That said, the school districts that are doing away with Spring Break have longer winter breaks, full teacher days off, and Jewish holidays. You can't have them all, nor should a school. Too many days off.

I see no reason to have 11-12 week Summer Breaks.

That is your preference and a minority one in the state of Maryland. Sorry.

Why it the MCPS calendar up for voting by statewide referendum (or poll)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I see no reason to have 11 day Spring Breaks that MCPS has had in the past. Sometimes they come so late in April and AP's are in early May. It is just terrible timing and too many days. I would be completely fine with 2-3 days off. If families want to go away longer, than it is a few missed days of school. Family's choice.

That said, the school districts that are doing away with Spring Break have longer winter breaks, full teacher days off, and Jewish holidays. You can't have them all, nor should a school. Too many days off.

I see no reason to have 11-12 week Summer Breaks.

That is your preference and a minority one in the state of Maryland. Sorry.

Why it the MCPS calendar up for voting by statewide referendum (or poll)?

So Hogan can ensure that MoCo is subjugated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Truthfully, I'd rather pay higher taxes and have more breaks spread out throughout the year than than to have a longer summer break so more tourists visit Ocean City, but I recognize that what works for my family doesn't work for all families. The BOE probably is throwing a hissy fit, but why not solicit feedback and see what people really want?

One of the reasons O'Malley started the study was because a majority of parents were asking for a longer summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Truthfully, I'd rather pay higher taxes and have more breaks spread out throughout the year than than to have a longer summer break so more tourists visit Ocean City, but I recognize that what works for my family doesn't work for all families. The BOE probably is throwing a hissy fit, but why not solicit feedback and see what people really want?

One of the reasons O'Malley started the study was because a majority of parents were asking for a longer summer.

O'Malley didn't "start the study". The General Assembly convened a task force, at the urging of comptroller Peter Franchot, as a way to increase tourist revenue.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-labor-day-schools-20130815-story.html

[Anonymous]

A poll found that people liked the idea of star I g after Labor Day but no one polled a longer summer with mid-June end date. No one polled eliminating spring break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: A poll found that people liked the idea of star I g after Labor Day but no one polled a longer summer with mid-June end date. No one polled eliminating spring break.

Exactly. +1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are all of you who support Hogan's executive order really okay with not having a spring break?

Frederick County will not have a spring break this year, same with Carrol ( or Calvert, can't remember) County. They will only close for God Friday and Easter Monday. Anne Arundel will have a similar schedule next year.

PG and Howard County will set aside a portion of spring break as possible makeup snow days.

I get that starting after Labor Day is a popular choice, but dictating a very tight school calendar for all of Maryland public school families to help out a beach town is mind boggling to me.

I see no reason to have 11 day Spring Breaks that MCPS has had in the past. Sometimes they come so late in April and AP's are in early May. It is just terrible timing and too many days. I would be completely fine with 2-3 days off. If families want to go away longer, than it is a few missed days of school. Family's choice.

That said, the school districts that are doing away with Spring Break have longer winter breaks, full teacher days off, and Jewish holidays. You can't have them all, nor should a school. Too many days off.

It appears these school districts are trying to play a game of chicken with Hogan, using his public school constituents Spring Break as the catalyst to cause them to complain. I wouldnt do that if I were them it will backfire because Hogan is not the type to back.down.

It's the BOE's choice how to implement the calendar and if they value religious holidays and teacher work days over spring break it is their CHOICE

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It appears these school districts are trying to play a game of chicken with Hogan, using his public school constituents Spring Break as the catalyst to cause them to complain. I wouldnt do that if I were them it will backfire because Hogan is not the type to back.down.

It's the BOE's choice how to implement the calendar and if they value religious holidays and teacher work days over spring break it is their CHOICE

Alternatively, they're trying to fit local requirements and trade-offs into start and end dates that not one school district in the state used before the governor issued his executive order requiring them to, and there aren't any easy answers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Sports started on August 9th, Earliest Day Ever this summer. In the past it wasn't until after August 15th. And with the summer season, which nod nod wink wink have nothing to do with the schools, going until the end of July, that gives families one week and two days to go on vacation if their kid play sports. I suppose camp and a family vacation is out of the question. Yes it's a choice for your kids to play sports, and/but it could get your kid a scholarship, and/but it could be something your kid wants to do.

It would have started Aug 2nd if MCPS BOE had it's way

No...the date is not set by MCPS. It is set by the state years in advance. It did not change when the school date changed. Here are the dates out to 2023.
http://www.mpssaa.org/assets/publications/Official%20Start%20Dates.pdf What changed is that an extra week+ of the fall practice season occurred over summer vacation. Football games started before school started. AN extra week of getting kids to mid-day practices. For practical purposes families with kids in HS sports do not vacation after the first week in August.

[Anonymous]

Dear BOE,

Just pick out a school calendar from Westchester County, NY, and cut out the week of February "mid-winter" vacation. That ought to fix your conundrum.

Many thanks,
Concerned Parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Easy solution: move the teacher "admin days" from during the school year to the summer.

The reason the union opposes it is that it cuts into the teachers' (paid) summer vacation.

Ridiculous suggestion from an ignorant parent. Teacher's professional days are used to prepare report cards and draw up lesson plans for the next quarter. How are you going to do that in the summer? Teachers don't get paid for not working during the summer. If they choose they can spread out their money over a twelve month period so they don't go without a check for two months in the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dear BOE,

Just pick out a school calendar from Westchester County, NY, and cut out the week of February "mid-winter" vacation. That ought to fix your conundrum.

Many thanks,
Concerned Parent

They get out late June and for Jewish holidays.