Bill Giving MD Schools Flexibility on Start Date Gains Traction in Assembly (Opposed by Governor)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you support this bill (SB 128 "County Boards of Education - School Year - Start and End Dates"), then e-mail your state senator this morning. The vote is today.

+1. I had to look up who my state Senator was but I did it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I write to my legislator it will be to keep the current school calendar. I’m pretty happy about the way in which things are going. I don’t want my kid on a hot school bus or in a hot classroom.

Yes because your little snowflake might melt. I have two kids in MCPS. They did fine with the old schedule, and they would prefer longer breaks in between quarters. Gives teachers and students some breathing room in between quarters.

+1. It's 2019. How hot do you think a bus is? If the AC on a bus breaks, report it so that it can be fixed.

I'm for more and longer breaks during the school year. The holidays feel so rushed because we try to cram everything into 7-10 days. I'd rather have 2 full weeks for winter break, 2 full weeks for spring break, and 8 weeks or less of summer vacation.

+1000. At least this bill would let each school system decide what to do, rather than a statewide mandate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I write to my legislator it will be to keep the current school calendar. I’m pretty happy about the way in which things are going. I don’t want my kid on a hot school bus or in a hot classroom.

Yes because your little snowflake might melt. I have two kids in MCPS. They did fine with the old schedule, and they would prefer longer breaks in between quarters. Gives teachers and students some breathing room in between quarters.

+1. It's 2019. How hot do you think a bus is? If the AC on a bus breaks, report it so that it can be fixed.

I'm for more and longer breaks during the school year. The holidays feel so rushed because we try to cram everything into 7-10 days. I'd rather have 2 full weeks for winter break, 2 full weeks for spring break, and 8 weeks or less of summer vacation.

+1000. At least this bill would let each school system decide what to do, rather than a statewide mandate.

I'm on the opposite side of the fence on this one. I find there are way too many holidays and days off which make it hard on me. We need fewer religious holidays, snow days, professional enrichment days. We need year around school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm on the opposite side of the fence on this one. I find there are way too many holidays and days off which make it hard on me. We need fewer religious holidays, snow days, professional enrichment days. We need year around school.

Then you should support this bill, which would allow each school board to make its own decision about the calendar. As it stands now, the governor makes the decision, and the decision is for all public schools in Maryland to end in mid-June and not start again until after Labor Day. You can't have year-round school with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm on the opposite side of the fence on this one. I find there are way too many holidays and days off which make it hard on me. We need fewer religious holidays, snow days, professional enrichment days. We need year around school.

Then you should support this bill, which would allow each school board to make its own decision about the calendar. As it stands now, the governor makes the decision, and the decision is for all public schools in Maryland to end in mid-June and not start again until after Labor Day. You can't have year-round school with that.

This bill is NOT about year round school. It will not change the # of days your kid is in school. It just removes the stupid Hogan Ocean City welfare dictates that the calendar must start after labor day and must end before June 15, so that we can have some more buffer built in the system around snow days.

[Anonymous]

The Senate bill passed today with enough votes to override a veto.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/md-senate-votes-to-overturn-post-labor-day-start-hogan-vows-public-referendum/2019/02/07/2153fbc0-2a91-11e9-984d-9b8fba003e81_story.html?utm_term=.9751655b4ae0

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Senate bill passed today with enough votes to override a veto.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/md-senate-votes-to-overturn-post-labor-day-start-hogan-vows-public-referendum/2019/02/07/2153fbc0-2a91-11e9-984d-9b8fba003e81_story.html?utm_term=.9751655b4ae0

Yay! Down with Hogan’s stupid calendar. Hopefully we can get a real spring break in the near future.

[Anonymous]

Yes, and swetting upset kids with no airconditioner on the bus in the middle of August. Forget Labor day vacation for family.
We cannot go even on spring brake. Do you know why? Because that stupid thing is in the middle of the quarter, and if you go for long vacation HS are guaranteed to fail quarter. Through in this AP exams in early May and you would know that Spring break for HS is a joke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, and swetting upset kids with no airconditioner on the bus in the middle of August. Forget Labor day vacation for family.
We cannot go even on spring brake. Do you know why? Because that stupid thing is in the middle of the quarter, and if you go for long vacation HS are guaranteed to fail quarter. Through in this AP exams in early May and you would know that Spring break for HS is a joke.

+1

I hate the idea of year round school with longer breaks. Most of the time the kids have homework/projects and/or course studying. There were years in high school when my daughter told me that she was managing to take Christmas day off, but that she was busy the rest of her "break". It started in second grade when the school sent home packets of worksheets (i think it was 2-3 inches thick) and a video to prep for the standardized test.

I resent the homework over the summer too, but at least they have the flexibility there to still get an actual break. I recognize that school is important and our family takes it seriously. I think, however, that having a break from school is also important.

If you're going to redistribute breaks throughout the year, it should be with the understanding that no homework/projects will be assigned over the break and that tests will be administered before, not after the break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Senate bill passed today with enough votes to override a veto.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/md-senate-votes-to-overturn-post-labor-day-start-hogan-vows-public-referendum/2019/02/07/2153fbc0-2a91-11e9-984d-9b8fba003e81_story.html?utm_term=.9751655b4ae0

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I write to my legislator it will be to keep the current school calendar. I’m pretty happy about the way in which things are going. I don’t want my kid on a hot school bus or in a hot classroom.

Yes because your little snowflake might melt. I have two kids in MCPS. They did fine with the old schedule, and they would prefer longer breaks in between quarters. Gives teachers and students some breathing room in between quarters.

+1. It's 2019. How hot do you think a bus is? If the AC on a bus breaks, report it so that it can be fixed.

I'm for more and longer breaks during the school year. The holidays feel so rushed because we try to cram everything into 7-10 days. I'd rather have 2 full weeks for winter break, 2 full weeks for spring break, and 8 weeks or less of summer vacation.

+1000. At least this bill would let each school system decide what to do, rather than a statewide mandate.

I'm on the opposite side of the fence on this one. I find there are way too many holidays and days off which make it hard on me. We need fewer religious holidays, snow days, professional enrichment days. We need year around school.

You do realize there are camps and activities you can send the kids to during winter and spring breaks, right? I think it would be *easier* if they had larger blocks of vacation instead of nickel diming us throughout the year with a Monday here and a halfday Thursday there.

My kids go to one of the county rec camps with their friends on the spring breaks where we don't travel, and they always have a fun time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, and swetting upset kids with no airconditioner on the bus in the middle of August. Forget Labor day vacation for family.
We cannot go even on spring brake. Do you know why? Because that stupid thing is in the middle of the quarter, and if you go for long vacation HS are guaranteed to fail quarter. Through in this AP exams in early May and you would know that Spring break for HS is a joke.

Are we in the same school district? My kids' buses always have AC. It may not be a balmy 68 degrees throughout the entire bus, but the darlings survive without long term damage.

And if your kid is guaranteed to fail because you go on vacation *when everyone else is on vacation too*, you're not addressing the real underlying issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I write to my legislator it will be to keep the current school calendar. I’m pretty happy about the way in which things are going. I don’t want my kid on a hot school bus or in a hot classroom.

Hi, maybe you are brand new to Maryland, but there are 90 degree days in September, May, and June too, so if you are concerned about it being too hot at school, you are barking up the wrong tree. Try pushing for a real solution (read: AC).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:" I actually very happy with current calendar. It is much easier to plan ahead for summer. Nobody can study late in June or in early August. The problem is not start and end date. Problem is MCPS with ton of closed days. It is MCPS that is by purpose trying to twist parents' hands and make our life miserable with crazy schedule during the year and rediculous spring break.

I feel the exact same way."

Feel free to write to your reps if you like the compressed schedule. It's hard to understand but there is a vocal minority on DCUM that prefers it.

I say minority because before the order, 23 of the 24 counties in MD started before Labor Day. It didn't end up that way over the years because of anything MCPS did or didn't do.

I am willing to bet this “vocal minority” is literally Hogan’s minions, or even Hogan himself. He is a well known internet troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, and swetting upset kids with no airconditioner on the bus in the middle of August. Forget Labor day vacation for family.
We cannot go even on spring brake. Do you know why? Because that stupid thing is in the middle of the quarter, and if you go for long vacation HS are guaranteed to fail quarter. Through in this AP exams in early May and you would know that Spring break for HS is a joke.

Are we in the same school district? My kids' buses always have AC. It may not be a balmy 68 degrees throughout the entire bus, but the darlings survive without long term damage.

And if your kid is guaranteed to fail because you go on vacation *when everyone else is on vacation too*, you're not addressing the real underlying issue.

My kids' buses in MCPS don't have AC. So when it's hot, it's hot on the bus. Then they complain. Then I tell them that my *schools* didn't have AC, and what's more, their father's schools didn't have AC in the deep South and the boys had to wear long pants.

AC is very pleasant, but not a good reason for the governor to dictate the school calendars for every school district in the state. Let the local school boards decide.