Why can't MCPS get it together like the other MD school districts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

How is Montgomery County not to blame for the shortened break? They decide their schedule, not the state. HCPS has a full Spring Break. So does PG county. The county decides the schedule and the county can ask the state for help. MCPS took the break away as a ploy tactic and purposely didn't ask for an extension so they could make a big deal about "the struggle." Nothing more. You are too gullible to see it.

Prince George's County also had 0 professional days (vs MCPS's 1) and did not close for the Jewish High Holy Days. There are those 3 days, right there.

This is an argument FOR the General Assembly's bill. Let the local school boards decide.

I just looked at Howard County and they have the full week of Spring Break. 10 days to be exact. They also have Jewish holidays off and also do Eid and Lunar NY when they fall on weekdays. They also have 3 professional days off and another day off for conferences. Why couldn't Montgomery County do this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone analyzed AP score performance for kids who start before vs. after labor day? Because losing weeks of instructional time is not peanuts.

Does anyone with half a brain actually realize that when MCPS starts a week early, by the time they get to May for the tests, they would have been in school the SAME EXACT amount of time if they started a week later. We are talking a 4 day difference that with the earlier schedule and there is 3 full days off for marking period grades, occasional EID, and usually a longer Spring Break.

But even schools that start in early to mid Aug do not have higher scores. The reality is most fail across the country, unless they teach themselves.

Most people with half a brain realize that breaks are good for kids. They get down-time and time to absorb material. To actually analyze the effect of the start date, you would need to look at the link between test scores and start dates, while also controlling for demographics. I don't think anyone has done that. But someone who insists that kids are teaching themselves wouldn't understand that.

LOL.

Oh, so now that you realize there are no actual extra instructional days, we are moving on to “kids need more days off to process the information” to get a better AP score. I didn’t realize they were all home processing things on their random days off. Gotcha!

Oh and I guess families with ES kids should pay for daycare those extra days - so high schoolers who may be taking AP’s can process the material. Seems fair.

I'm an elementary school parent. I have to pay for care whether it's in the summer or the winter. We're not discussing adding instructional days to the school calendar. I don't mind that we get longer breaks. Even my little kids can do with a full week of spring break, and come back to school refreshed. I imagine it will be doubly true when they're older and have a lot of homework stresses and exams.

The cost difference is much higher when you pay by the day vs paying by the week. Not to mention there are summer resources for the poor and there aren't for the days off during the school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LOL - the school calendar fight is between the labor unions and the small business owners it has zero to do with education or what parents want.

In fact, I have never met a parent that cares whether school starts before or after labor. What parents hate with a passion are all the random days off, half days and months with broken up weeks in the MCPS calendar. People want to be able to plan for effective childcare and take family vacations which the MCPS calendar does not support. Other counties did pretty well with either the week before or week after in establishing rationale calendars that gave a reasonable spring break and weren't closed all the time for random things.

From a learning perspective, there is zero evidence that one week makes a hoot of difference. Year-round school and intensive after care programs for failing kids -yes this makes a difference but starting a week early? Nope.

On the political front, the way this all works in Annapolis is that MoCo was the driving force behind getting control of its calendar back. MoCo reps make deals with other counties for their votes. I'd be more worried about what MoCo owes the other reps now than whether the school year starts before or after Labor Day.

It would be nice if MCEAA and MCPS put as much energy into actually educating kids, getting more funding, or improving school safety as they have in getting their calendar back.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

How is Montgomery County not to blame for the shortened break? They decide their schedule, not the state. HCPS has a full Spring Break. So does PG county. The county decides the schedule and the county can ask the state for help. MCPS took the break away as a ploy tactic and purposely didn't ask for an extension so they could make a big deal about "the struggle." Nothing more. You are too gullible to see it.

Prince George's County also had 0 professional days (vs MCPS's 1) and did not close for the Jewish High Holy Days. There are those 3 days, right there.

This is an argument FOR the General Assembly's bill. Let the local school boards decide.

I just looked at Howard County and they have the full week of Spring Break. 10 days to be exact. They also have Jewish holidays off and also do Eid and Lunar NY when they fall on weekdays. They also have 3 professional days off and another day off for conferences. Why couldn't Montgomery County do this?

Well, I don't know. You just looked at the Howard County calendar. Now look at the Montgomery County calendar. Where are they different?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone analyzed AP score performance for kids who start before vs. after labor day? Because losing weeks of instructional time is not peanuts.

Does anyone with half a brain actually realize that when MCPS starts a week early, by the time they get to May for the tests, they would have been in school the SAME EXACT amount of time if they started a week later. We are talking a 4 day difference that with the earlier schedule and there is 3 full days off for marking period grades, occasional EID, and usually a longer Spring Break.

But even schools that start in early to mid Aug do not have higher scores. The reality is most fail across the country, unless they teach themselves.

Most people with half a brain realize that breaks are good for kids. They get down-time and time to absorb material. To actually analyze the effect of the start date, you would need to look at the link between test scores and start dates, while also controlling for demographics. I don't think anyone has done that. But someone who insists that kids are teaching themselves wouldn't understand that.

LOL.

Oh, so now that you realize there are no actual extra instructional days, we are moving on to “kids need more days off to process the information” to get a better AP score. I didn’t realize they were all home processing things on their random days off. Gotcha!

Oh and I guess families with ES kids should pay for daycare those extra days - so high schoolers who may be taking AP’s can process the material. Seems fair.

I'm an elementary school parent. I have to pay for care whether it's in the summer or the winter. We're not discussing adding instructional days to the school calendar. I don't mind that we get longer breaks. Even my little kids can do with a full week of spring break, and come back to school refreshed. I imagine it will be doubly true when they're older and have a lot of homework stresses and exams.

The cost difference is much higher when you pay by the day vs paying by the week. Not to mention there are summer resources for the poor and there aren't for the days off during the school year.

Agree. Either give the summer off and have 5 day weeks during the school year or just go year round and give the kids multiple weeks off between quarters. I can not stand 4 day school weeks.

[Anonymous]

The veto has been overturned! Hooray!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The veto has been overturned! Hooray!

Hooray! Both Virginia and Maryland have returned to sanity and a focus on academics over tourism (Virginia just got rid of the "Kings Dominion Rule" too).

The Maryland General Assembly voted Friday to override Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of a bill that will allow public schools to begin classes before Labor Day — dealing the Republican governor a defeat of what he says has been one of his most popular decisions while in office.

The House of Delegates voted 93-43 to override Hogan’s veto of the legislation. It will return authority to local school districts to decide when to begin the academic year. The bill undoes the governor’s 2016 executive order mandating a post-Labor Day start.

[Anonymous]

Yay! looking forward to future years of spring breaks longer than 3 days! our kids need the rest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The veto has been overturned! Hooray!

66-70% of the state in every single poll posted in the past year wanted school to start after Labor Day. 68% of all MCPS families wanted after Labor Day. This was a win for one school district that hasn't got a clue how to make a schedule or ask for a state waiver to go past June 15th. They have always had a power issue. The majority of families do not agree with you or MCPS.

It will be okay. The state will just use the revenue lost in small business taxes from tourist areas that week and not increase funding for MCPS. Just wait and see...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yay! looking forward to future years of spring breaks longer than 3 days! our kids need the rest.

Every other school district in Maryland had a full Spring Break. You just live in an incompetent district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The veto has been overturned! Hooray!

66-70% of the state in every single poll posted in the past year wanted school to start after Labor Day. 68% of all MCPS families wanted after Labor Day. This was a win for one school district that hasn't got a clue how to make a schedule or ask for a state waiver to go past June 15th. They have always had a power issue. The majority of families do not agree with you or MCPS.

It will be okay. The state will just use the revenue lost in small business taxes from tourist areas that week and not increase funding for MCPS. Just wait and see...

Laws aren't made by opinion polls, though. They're made by elected representatives in the General Assembly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yay! looking forward to future years of spring breaks longer than 3 days! our kids need the rest.

Every other school district in Maryland had a full Spring Break. You just live in an incompetent district.

Pretty much. Not sure why MoCo can't get it's act together.

[Anonymous]

Why should they? No one holds MCPS or the county government accountable for any of their choices.

[Anonymous]

The biggest issue with MCPS is it's trying to address many of the social issues thru school system rather than focusing on teaching kids. Too much PCness... Not enough focus on actually teaching kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As Hogan vetos the starting before Labor Day, all the MCPS families seem to have such issue with this. It seems like MCPS makes the bigger deal of this and is always complaining to the state. Not just about this, but snow days in previous years, and of course the funding. It just seems to be a thing with MCPS residents.

How can a county that is so against the lack of increased state funding, be so against increasing the economy in tourist areas like OCMD, Deep Creek, Inner Harbor, etc.. by delaying school until after Labor Day.

How come they never mention that state funding (which is only 23% of budget) has increased to MCPS more than their own county funding (which is 67% of budget.) A county who overbuilds, overtaxes with piggyback taxes and increases residential taxes, but yet never can seem to find the money to build more schools or help the over populated schools. Always blaming the state, yet has no issue with building brand new schools in Potomac like Beverly Farms, Potomac, and Wayside. All which are under 80% enrolled and projections to be under 70% enrolled in 5 years. Cold Spring ES is under 75% enrolled and that is with the gifted program in it. Yet, the Rockville district about a mile up the street are at capacity and will be going over capacity again in the next 5 years. And will Crown ever be built? I am not holding my breath. Poolesville HS is dilapidated, literally. No one seems to care they have filthy broken bathrooms out of order, leaks and electrical issues all over the school. It hasn't been modernized in over 40 years. Tell me why again, these Potomac ES need these huge brand new schools again? Why are we blaming the state again for our financial and budget issues?

Other districts have no issue getting snow waivers in previous years as they showed the state the attempts they made to change their calendar. MCPS does nothing to change the calendar and then whines on all local news stations how stingy the state is being with snow waivers. And all the MCPS jump on the bandwagon. Not mad that their own idiotic school board can not figure out other means of snow make-up days, but that the state didn't give the same waivers to the only district that didn't try anything else but whining.

And as for the calendar everyone is complaining about. That is also the work of your idiotic board. Trying to manipulate pity among families and trying to rip apart our county by placing blame on "Jewish holidays or Spring Break." And once again, everyone jumps in so upset about Hogan not letting our school district make all their decisions. I for one am glad our board doesn't have final say. In 2016, they were going to start 2 WEEKS before Labor Day to get in every darn day they wanted off. Basically 4 days a week of school more than half the year. No care that families have to work and one day daycare multiple times a month, is much more expensive than 1 week extra of summer care.

And why can FCPS easily switch an early dismissal to a late start or vice versa if need be, but MCPS has their hands tied?

Why can PG county still have a full Spring break this calendar year, but we can not.

How can Frederick and Howard both have calendars that go to June 20th, but we can not.


It just seems that all MCPS does is complain. They seem incapable of change, incapable of working WITH the state. Incapable of funding their own county and keeping all kids in safe schools. Not just the rich ones. They have no problem overbuilding and overtaxing, but never seem to have enough money for the schools.

Isn't it time we stop pointing to the state for our issues and start looking at our own county as the problem?

I agree with you 100%. do you really think the people who are allowing pedophiles in the schools are making decisions with the kids best interests at heart? The same people that allowed a child to continue attending and causing problems at several schools until he rapes someone and gets a slap on the hand. The same people that selected and supported the mistake-ridden curriculum that has impacted every kid attending mcps today. these people are malicious fools who will make sure they accommodate the union and every religion so that we can enjoy 4 day weeks and have our kids going back to school mid-August, when it is still summer and hot. local beaches and tourist attractions will be packed because now the real summer will be shorter. kids will be sweating and not learning because of the lack of ac in many schools. The Democrats are only for themselves. enjoy!!