Earlier start date proposed for MCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

NP here. New to MCPS. What is the HS start time issue? Thanks!

Here is a summary: http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2015/MoCo-High-Schools-Will-Start-20-Minutes-Later-Next-School-Year/

Basically, there was no good solution. The 20-minute delay was arguably the least bad low-cost alternative.

Thanks. I don't understand why changing the high school schedule has an impact on elementary schools. Why are they tied together? Seems like it would be better for elementary schools to start earlier and for high schools to start later.

No it wouldn't. High school kids need daylight for sports practices and many schools have to rotate times for limited fields. My child's sports practice was 5-7pm after the other team ran 3-5pm. They can't run sports until 9pm at night.

Also, many high school kids have to work after school or babysit younger siblings. Not everyone is uber rich with nannies and daycare.

I still don't understand why having high schools move later means that elementary schools also has to move later. Why couldn't, say, high schools start at 8:00, and elementary schools at 8:45? Why is it that to move high school start time back by 20 minutes, you also have to move the elementary school time back? Is it because they use the same buses/bus drivers for high school and elementary school students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

NP here. New to MCPS. What is the HS start time issue? Thanks!

Here is a summary: http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2015/MoCo-High-Schools-Will-Start-20-Minutes-Later-Next-School-Year/

Basically, there was no good solution. The 20-minute delay was arguably the least bad low-cost alternative.

Thanks. I don't understand why changing the high school schedule has an impact on elementary schools. Why are they tied together? Seems like it would be better for elementary schools to start earlier and for high schools to start later.

No it wouldn't. High school kids need daylight for sports practices and many schools have to rotate times for limited fields. My child's sports practice was 5-7pm after the other team ran 3-5pm. They can't run sports until 9pm at night.

Also, many high school kids have to work after school or babysit younger siblings. Not everyone is uber rich with nannies and daycare.

I still don't understand why having high schools move later means that elementary schools also has to move later. Why couldn't, say, high schools start at 8:00, and elementary schools at 8:45? Why is it that to move high school start time back by 20 minutes, you also have to move the elementary school time back? Is it because they use the same buses/bus drivers for high school and elementary school students?

Ding, ding, ding!!!

[Anonymous]

Why can't mcps just drop the professional day in late January in lieu of this new one being added in Sept? Then the start date of 8/29 could remain (I already resent school starting before labor day, and 8/24 is ridiculous), and there would be more consistency in the winter months - as it stands now, the kids are off for over a week for winter break, then they have 2 back to back 3-day weekends in Jan, another 3-day weekend in Feb, and spring break in March - eliminating one of the 3-day weekends in Jan could actually help the kids get into a better routine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why can't mcps just drop the professional day in late January in lieu of this new one being added in Sept? Then the start date of 8/29 could remain (I already resent school starting before labor day, and 8/24 is ridiculous), and there would be more consistency in the winter months - as it stands now, the kids are off for over a week for winter break, then they have 2 back to back 3-day weekends in Jan, another 3-day weekend in Feb, and spring break in March - eliminating one of the 3-day weekends in Jan could actually help the kids get into a better routine.

Because that is the end of the 2nd quarter and they do grading that day. In their union contract they get a day after each marking period for grading. It is t their fault there are a few holidays near it. Let's take away an American holiday like MLK or Presidents Day for a Muslim holiday and see how that goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The cry babies wanted more sleep, a group of coddling Mommies complained and the BOA spent 12 million to change the times by a whopping 20 minutes. So now my K student comes home as the sun is setting.

I'm still waiting for a source of this "it cost $12 million" statement.

The sun will set today at 4:46 pm. Why is your kindergartner coming home at 4:46 pm?

[Anonymous]

They have also moved around a couple of the profressional days in this revision.

They moved one from 11/7 to 11/2 (eliminating a long weekend).

They moved another from 4/7 to 3/31 eliminating an extra couple days for spring break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The cry babies wanted more sleep, a group of coddling Mommies complained and the BOA spent 12 million to change the times by a whopping 20 minutes. So now my K student comes home as the sun is setting.

I'm still waiting for a source of this "it cost $12 million" statement.

The sun will set today at 4:46 pm. Why is your kindergartner coming home at 4:46 pm?

Not the op you were talking to but some schools don't get out until 3:50. Some kids aren't getting on a bus until 4:10/4:15, throw a little traffic in there and you aren't getting home until 4:45.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The cry babies wanted more sleep, a group of coddling Mommies complained and the BOA spent 12 million to change the times by a whopping 20 minutes. So now my K student comes home as the sun is setting.

I'm still waiting for a source of this "it cost $12 million" statement.

The sun will set today at 4:46 pm. Why is your kindergartner coming home at 4:46 pm?

Not the op you were talking to but some schools don't get out until 3:50. Some kids aren't getting on a bus until 4:10/4:15, throw a little traffic in there and you aren't getting home until 4:45.

Are there many elementary schools where the kids wait 25 minutes after the end of school for the bus, and then the kids have a 30-minute bus ride? If so, that's a problem with bus transportation, and it would be a problem even if the kids were getting home at 4:25 instead of 4:45.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The cry babies wanted more sleep, a group of coddling Mommies complained and the BOA spent 12 million to change the times by a whopping 20 minutes. So now my K student comes home as the sun is setting.

I'm still waiting for a source of this "it cost $12 million" statement.

The sun will set today at 4:46 pm. Why is your kindergartner coming home at 4:46 pm?

Not the op you were talking to but some schools don't get out until 3:50. Some kids aren't getting on a bus until 4:10/4:15, throw a little traffic in there and you aren't getting home until 4:45.

Are there many elementary schools where the kids wait 25 minutes after the end of school for the bus, and then the kids have a 30-minute bus ride? If so, that's a problem with bus transportation, and it would be a problem even if the kids were getting home at 4:25 instead of 4:45.

Yes. Because in many cases the same buses are being used for Tier 1 schools and then Tier 2 schools. Traffic starts early around here so Tier 1 buses are facing more traffic, therefore delaying their arrival to Tier 2 schools. 20 minutes has made a very big impact on elementary schools and their students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They have also moved around a couple of the profressional days in this revision.

They moved one from 11/7 to 11/2 (eliminating a long weekend).

They moved another from 4/7 to 3/31 eliminating an extra couple days for spring break.

These changes are terrible!!!!

[Anonymous]

Is there a way to write individual school board members in addition to the General BOE mailbox?

[Anonymous]

this is a complete outrage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have also moved around a couple of the profressional days in this revision.

They moved one from 11/7 to 11/2 (eliminating a long weekend).

They moved another from 4/7 to 3/31 eliminating an extra couple days for spring break.

These changes are terrible!!!!

Why? Especially the November change. People spend the whole fall on DCUM complaining about the various days off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The cry babies wanted more sleep, a group of coddling Mommies complained and the BOA spent 12 million to change the times by a whopping 20 minutes. So now my K student comes home as the sun is setting.

I'm still waiting for a source of this "it cost $12 million" statement.

The sun will set today at 4:46 pm. Why is your kindergartner coming home at 4:46 pm?

Not the op you were talking to but some schools don't get out until 3:50. Some kids aren't getting on a bus until 4:10/4:15, throw a little traffic in there and you aren't getting home until 4:45.

Are there many elementary schools where the kids wait 25 minutes after the end of school for the bus, and then the kids have a 30-minute bus ride? If so, that's a problem with bus transportation, and it would be a problem even if the kids were getting home at 4:25 instead of 4:45.

Yes. Because in many cases the same buses are being used for Tier 1 schools and then Tier 2 schools. Traffic starts early around here so Tier 1 buses are facing more traffic, therefore delaying their arrival to Tier 2 schools. 20 minutes has made a very big impact on elementary schools and their students.

I'm not denying that it's possible. I'm asking how many there are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It really messes up our summer plans.

You already have summer plans for the end of next August?