Starting MOCO after Labor Day 2014

[Anonymous]

Any truth to the rumor that schools in MOCO might start after Labor Day next year? That would be so great!

[Anonymous]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[Anonymous]

Ain't gonna happen. Parents complain that the school year runs too long in June as it is now. No way would MCPS open after Labor Day as that would push the end of the year even futher toward the end of June.

MCPS should adopt a calendar similar to that in many other districts nationwide although not in our area. Schools should open in early August and close the Friday before Memorial Day. High stakes tests, be they state, AP, IB, etc. are all given in May. Why not open schools three weeks earlier and get in three additional weeks of learning before these tests are given. As it is now, the weeks following the completion of these tests are for the most part wasted time in the high schools.

[Anonymous]

Why would it be so great? There's no reason to make this change.

[Anonymous]

I actually like starting the week before labor day. August is always a crazy month for us with work commitments, travel and inevitably all the back to school preparations get left to the day before school starts. The kids have a hard time adjusting to getting up an hour earlier and not spending the entire day in sports camps. They go from only being inside for maybe 30 minutes in an entire day and constantly running, playing, doing sports, or swimming to sitting at a desk for 6 hours with only a 20 minute recess. Its a hard first week and nice to have Monday off.

I would be up for going an extra week in June if they would be off for the entire Thanksgiving week and a few more days at Christmas break. We have family in other states and they get far more vacation time from school allowing travel for family around the holidays.

[Anonymous]

Peter Franchot, Comptroller of MD, is agitating to get all schools in MD to start after Labor Day, to help the beach economies. I'd support it too, ESP if we got some decent holiday breaks. More time at Thanksgiving, to avoid most horrible travel days of the year and to prep for holidays, maybe take an uncrowded break...heaven!

[Anonymous]

How would starting school one week later affect all the other breaks? The calendar would just shift one week and students would stay an extra week in June. More time at Thanksgiving? How? He's not advocating for fewer school days.

[Anonymous]

See no reason for a switch.

[Anonymous]

Here is a news article on the proposal: http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/2697837

The article suggests that they wouldn't push back the last day of school but rather cut some days off that kids get during the school year.

Personally, I have no problem with school starting before Labor Day.

[Anonymous]

School used to start after Labor Day. As a kid, of course, I liked it. However, as an adult with kids, I see no reason to change the start date to after Labor Day again. I think it's fine where it is. Actually, I don't see why we don't start a week earlier than we do (the same start date as PG County).

[Anonymous]

It might save money but likely at the expense of students' learning. Kids forget a lot over the summer and making the break longer would just make the problem worse. And when you consider for some kids it will be another week without nutritious food and/or skilled adult supervision it hardly seems worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It might save money but likely at the expense of students' learning. Kids forget a lot over the summer and making the break longer would just make the problem worse. And when you consider for some kids it will be another week without nutritious food and/or skilled adult supervision it hardly seems worth it.

But Franchot has some bogus statistics saying it will help the beach communities? How could it not be worth it?

If I wanted to prioritize the amusement park economy over schools I'd live in Virginia.

[Anonymous]

We don't travel at spring break (2 parents WOTH) so I'd trade the later start date for a spring break < 11 days if offered!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don't travel at spring break (2 parents WOTH) so I'd trade the later start date for a spring break < 11 days if offered!

Do you not get vacation time?

We also WOH (both of us) but we always take spring break to spend with our kids.

[Anonymous]

The task force must report its findings to Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley by June30, 2014. That means the earliest possible date that the General Assembly could pass a law making this happen would not be until January 2015, for the 2015-16 school year.

We are talking 2 years.