MCPS updated calendar is insane

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The should reinstate school on Eid since it was already designated as a snow day make up, but make it clear that students observing the holiday have an excused absence, and instruct teachers not to cover new material-- let the day be in-school study hall or assemblies or whatnot. Teachers could come up with material that helps sophomores and juniors plan out college prep stuff. Reading cafe for the littles. 8th-10th graders could do mock PSATs or SATs . They could do mental health programming or kickball tournaments or whatnot. They could do review sessions or mock AP tests for that group. Essentially, nothing that kids would have to makeup if they missed school.

And they couldn't officially do this, but unofficially my kids' teachers often discourage attendance when they know a schoolday won't be valuable (e.g., day before winter break). Many (beyond those celebrating) would probably take the day off anyway and so be it.

Except they don’t and okay in their computers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So seniors and senior teachers are done 5 weeks earlier!

It would be a lot better for high school students to start a week earlier in August (build in a normal amount of snow days, and if not used can end early.)

No.

The only part I disagree with is the "and end early" since that would just be treated this same way. People would start to just count that last week of school as not real and not plan for going. I completely agree we should start a week earlier though.

But that will be a battle. The one thing that can be done for next year is to revert that transition day back to a school day for all so it counts and can give us an extra built in day! It's such an unnecessary day when the half day orientation day the week prior was always more than sufficient!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So seniors and senior teachers are done 5 weeks earlier!

It would be a lot better for high school students to start a week earlier in August (build in a normal amount of snow days, and if not used can end early.)

Do you have high school kids? Sports and marching band start two weeks earlier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So seniors and senior teachers are done 5 weeks earlier!

It would be a lot better for high school students to start a week earlier in August (build in a normal amount of snow days, and if not used can end early.)

Do you have high school kids? Sports and marching band start two weeks earlier.

So they can start earlier. Geez guys, I know change is hard but your kids will adapt better than you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So seniors and senior teachers are done 5 weeks earlier!

It would be a lot better for high school students to start a week earlier in August (build in a normal amount of snow days, and if not used can end early.)

No.

Weird that you'd rather have usless half days tacked on to the end of the year. Education isn't a priority for your family?

[Anonymous]

Wednesday: April 15, 2026: Quarter 3 Grading and Reporting Day Teacher Work Day Considerations: Contractual agreement with Montgomery County Education Association

June 18 is Q4 Grading day and no one objected to using it for snow day make-up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So seniors and senior teachers are done 5 weeks earlier!

It would be a lot better for high school students to start a week earlier in August (build in a normal amount of snow days, and if not used can end early.)

No.

Weird that you'd rather have usless half days tacked on to the end of the year. Education isn't a priority for your family?

DP

How silly. Maximizing days and minutes is important because lower income families benefit a lot. Those of us who “prioritize education” as you put it don’t need this in the same way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So seniors and senior teachers are done 5 weeks earlier!

It would be a lot better for high school students to start a week earlier in August (build in a normal amount of snow days, and if not used can end early.)

No.

Weird that you'd rather have usless half days tacked on to the end of the year. Education isn't a priority for your family?

DP

How silly. Maximizing days and minutes is important because lower income families benefit a lot. Those of us who “prioritize education” as you put it don’t need this in the same way.

Are you low income? If so get off here and get a job. If not, stop using others as talking points for your wants. They aren’t complaining, you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So seniors and senior teachers are done 5 weeks earlier!

It would be a lot better for high school students to start a week earlier in August (build in a normal amount of snow days, and if not used can end early.)

No.

Weird that you'd rather have usless half days tacked on to the end of the year. Education isn't a priority for your family?

DP

How silly. Maximizing days and minutes is important because lower income families benefit a lot. Those of us who “prioritize education” as you put it don’t need this in the same way.

Are you low income? If so get off here and get a job. If not, stop using others as talking points for your wants. They aren’t complaining, you are.

I’m not complaining or using them as a talking point, just acknowledging competing interests. I hope they count minutes and cut that extra week. I hope they count minutes permanently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Wednesday: April 15, 2026: Quarter 3 Grading and Reporting Day Teacher Work Day Considerations: Contractual agreement with Montgomery County Education Association

June 18 is Q4 Grading day and no one objected to using it for snow day make-up.

Well then why did the union object to April 15?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So seniors and senior teachers are done 5 weeks earlier!

It would be a lot better for high school students to start a week earlier in August (build in a normal amount of snow days, and if not used can end early.)

No.

Weird that you'd rather have usless half days tacked on to the end of the year. Education isn't a priority for your family?

DP

How silly. Maximizing days and minutes is important because lower income families benefit a lot. Those of us who “prioritize education” as you put it don’t need this in the same way.

Are you low income? If so get off here and get a job. If not, stop using others as talking points for your wants. They aren’t complaining, you are.

Are you an MCPS staffer? I hope not, because you sound like a rotten human being, to berate anyone who cares about lower income families. You should get off here and find some morality in your life, rather than harassing people who care about how kids get educated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So seniors and senior teachers are done 5 weeks earlier!

It would be a lot better for high school students to start a week earlier in August (build in a normal amount of snow days, and if not used can end early.)

No.

Weird that you'd rather have usless half days tacked on to the end of the year. Education isn't a priority for your family?

DP

How silly. Maximizing days and minutes is important because lower income families benefit a lot. Those of us who “prioritize education” as you put it don’t need this in the same way.

Are you low income? If so get off here and get a job. If not, stop using others as talking points for your wants. They aren’t complaining, you are.

Are you an MCPS staffer? I hope not, because you sound like a rotten human being, to berate anyone who cares about lower income families. You should get off here and find some morality in your life, rather than harassing people who care about how kids get educated.

+1 I see awful stuff posted on DCUM pretty regularly, but "Are you low income? If so get off here and get a job." takes the cake. i hope people realize that their IP addresses are linked with their posts, and that these are not truly anonymous.

[Anonymous]

Why do we still have an early release on Friday when it really isn’t interim time anymore because of all the snow days?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grading and planning days are essential. You can get rid of them if you want but it will be to the detriment of students. Having the day off means we can carefully go through grades and make sure there are no mistakes. It also gives us a few hours to grade stuff. Finally it gives teachers time to reflect and do some planning for future lessons. Take it away and many of us will just hastily throw something together for planning purposes. Think of some of your kids teachers who you like and who do a good job. Good teaching doesn’t just happen. It takes a lot of planning and effort. And trying new things.

In HS there are 8 periods. Teachers have classes for 5-6 periods at most. The school day is exactly 7.5hrs.

Most salary employees work 9-10hrs a day. Many catch up at night too.

I think teachers do not get paid well enough and I would argue for more half days for grading. But full days off are not productive in my opinion. You just had 4 days off. There will be a long Spring Break in late March/early April. Being against April 15th is absolutely ridiculous. Could have made it half day easily.

When the teachers and MCPS are not flexible, why should the state be?

Agree 100%

If MCPS actually went to school 5 days a week, I may have more sympathy for teachers and their need for full days off to grade. But they don't because they are off for every known holiday and then also when it flurries. As well as morning delays and other half days. Do teachers not understand that OTHER working parents that are not teachers, do not have that luxury and struggle with finding daycare, camps, babysitters for all of these days off and snow days and delayed openings, etc... I feel like kids are never in school. So your union denying April 15th after all these days off and after a long Spring Break seems a bit much, no?

Teacher here: Do you not understand that the teachers are NOT involved in the poor calendar planning? The MCPS calendar is absurd. We hardly ever have a full week of school at this point due to all of the days off. Teachers, probably more than anyone, want to return to a time when the school year starts and ends at a reasonable time but that continues at a steady pace for the school year's duration. The communities that are advocating to have every religious holiday off and the state and local powers that be that want days and days of professional development have no idea that the inconsistency of the calendar is contributing to how much our students are falling behind. We had four days off last weekend, which requires me to spend time just reactivating my students' thinking about that we covered a handful of days ago. If we'd go to school regularly and really get into a routine, we have to do far less of this and could keep the learning going at a steadier pace and in a more effective way. It is NOT the teachers who are advocating for endless days off during the year.

It's your teacher's union that is blocking the use of April 15 makeup day, which was submitted to BOE as part of the official calendar to BE a make-up day. And now your union is reneging on the official calendar, so you can enjoy teaching until July this year.

You’re such a snot. You sound like an ill-raised 13-year-old girl. And no, many teachers will use their accumulated days and NOT “teach until July” and your kids will be stuffed in with unqualified subs. But we all know you don’t care, as long as they’re not in your house, or in childcare you had to pay for or arrange.

That’s your opinion. Not a fact. Which is something even most 13 year old girls can recognize. It is a fact that the McPS teacher’s union blocked the use of the April 15 makeup day that they had agreed to include on the calendar as a makeup day.

And because of that selfishness, McPS kids are losing losing out on education while you are calling people “snot” and enjoying your vacation thinking gleefully about unqualified subs educating the kids you’re supposed to care about.

I have no idea if the union advocated to not use April 15 as make up. The teachers i know want to use it. As for agreeing to calendar decisions, teachers unions are not allowed to negotiate the calendar in MD

You would have "an idea" if you had bothered to read the Board doc in the first page of this thread .
https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/DRFV9T7FA98B/$file/Apprv%20Tech%20Amends%202025-2026%20SY%20Calendars%20260219.pdf

Wednesday: April 15, 2026: Quarter 3 Grading and Reporting Day Teacher Work Day Considerations: Contractual agreement with Montgomery County Education Association

This was the only makeup day that had been agreed on the calendar (a random Wednesday in April) that didn't have extra costs or fear of poor attendance listed as a consideration in making it an instructional day.

Again, this does not prove that union was consulted after the snow days about making April 15 a make up day. The union may have been asked, or the county might just be noting that it is contractually a day off.

In any case, the teachers are not allowed to negotiate the calendar. Teachers I know want to use April 15 as a make up. Obviously, I don't know all the teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So seniors and senior teachers are done 5 weeks earlier!

It would be a lot better for high school students to start a week earlier in August (build in a normal amount of snow days, and if not used can end early.)

Do you have high school kids? Sports and marching band start two weeks earlier.

So they can start earlier. Geez guys, I know change is hard but your kids will adapt better than you.

That means our kids get pretty much no summer and it's an issue with working jobs. Don't your teens work? Jobs expect them to keep working as the college kids go back. Oh wait, you are priviileged and your kids don't work.