2026-2027 calendar updates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many of these posts show a real empathy gap. It’s very disheartening. We all want our kids to go to school and we all want to be able to spend time with our families and observing religious occasions. And we need a calendar that doesn’t change multiple times.

The real culprit here is MCPS and the board that doesn’t exercise oversight.

+1. I am not sure why ppl kept saying beach vacation but for some of us, we have booked our trip home to visit grandparents months ago. Starting school earlier has never happened since my kids started ES 5 years ago. If I knew this was even a possibility I would have waited.

+2. I actually have no problem with MCPS starting the school year earlier but this should be for 2027-2028. Waiting until 4 months before the start of the new school year to make this change is ridiculous.

+100
First thing first, they need to stick to doing what they say there're going to do, not identifying makeup days and not using them, saying they'd start on a given day, then changing it, jerking everyone back and forth for months. They seem to do this with everything (see eg new math curriculum, magnet program changes, boundary studies.) I get that they need community input and that some of these things are in draft form, but this is literally their job.

[Anonymous]

I also think starting school on a Thursday is an unserious proposal, unless they’re ok with teachers not assigning work the first 2 days and going over everything again on Monday when everyone is back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also think starting school on a Thursday is an unserious proposal, unless they’re ok with teachers not assigning work the first 2 days and going over everything again on Monday when everyone is back.

Which would mean even fewer days of real instruction by design.

[Anonymous]

For all of the people saying that people value a vacation more than education, that is not the point. I'm one of the people who has a beach vacation planned for that week, I'm also one of the people who thinks starting earlier is a great idea.... FOR 2027 AND BEYOND! This is more about jerking us around for the 3rd or 4th time in the past year. This needs to stop!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For all of the people saying that people value a vacation more than education, that is not the point. I'm one of the people who has a beach vacation planned for that week, I'm also one of the people who thinks starting earlier is a great idea.... FOR 2027 AND BEYOND! This is more about jerking us around for the 3rd or 4th time in the past year. This needs to stop!

They really don't care that they are jerking us around. I think they enjoy it a little. But most is just bureaucrats posturing and and fighting with each other instead of centering the core mission of public schools to educate children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also think starting school on a Thursday is an unserious proposal, unless they’re ok with teachers not assigning work the first 2 days and going over everything again on Monday when everyone is back.

Which would mean even fewer days of real instruction by design.

Plus parents of younger kids still need childcare on M-W, so they’re not going to cancel a camp they’ve already paid for. And then a lot would probably want to finish the week instead of going to useless bonus school days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For all of the people saying that people value a vacation more than education, that is not the point. I'm one of the people who has a beach vacation planned for that week, I'm also one of the people who thinks starting earlier is a great idea.... FOR 2027 AND BEYOND! This is more about jerking us around for the 3rd or 4th time in the past year. This needs to stop!

If what was happening in MCPS was education then the test scores wouldn't be so bad. As long as MCPS is getting the result it is, I do not care if they think I don't care about education. I'm the only one educating my kid, not the school system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For all of the people saying that people value a vacation more than education, that is not the point. I'm one of the people who has a beach vacation planned for that week, I'm also one of the people who thinks starting earlier is a great idea.... FOR 2027 AND BEYOND! This is more about jerking us around for the 3rd or 4th time in the past year. This needs to stop!

Yes, this!

[Anonymous]

Obviously the best option is to start early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obviously the best option is to start early.

Agreed. Make Monday 8/24 the first day of school for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obviously the best option is to start early.

The best option to achieve what goal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also think starting school on a Thursday is an unserious proposal, unless they’re ok with teachers not assigning work the first 2 days and going over everything again on Monday when everyone is back.

Which would mean even fewer days of real instruction by design.

Plus parents of younger kids still need childcare on M-W, so they’re not going to cancel a camp they’ve already paid for. And then a lot would probably want to finish the week instead of going to useless bonus school days.

It's basically the days they tacked on at the end of last year, just front loaded this time!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also think starting school on a Thursday is an unserious proposal, unless they’re ok with teachers not assigning work the first 2 days and going over everything again on Monday when everyone is back.

Which would mean even fewer days of real instruction by design.

Plus parents of younger kids still need childcare on M-W, so they’re not going to cancel a camp they’ve already paid for. And then a lot would probably want to finish the week instead of going to useless bonus school days.

It's basically the days they tacked on at the end of last year, just front loaded this time!

Wrong. The Superintendent's recommended calendar includes 181 scheduled days of instruction, just like the original calendar that the BOE approved. Those days simply would start 3 days earlier and end 3 days earlier. If there are a lot of school closures for weather or whatever, they will face the exact same choice as they did this year. Either piss off people for holding school on religious holidays, or piss off people for extending the school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also think starting school on a Thursday is an unserious proposal, unless they’re ok with teachers not assigning work the first 2 days and going over everything again on Monday when everyone is back.

Which would mean even fewer days of real instruction by design.

Plus parents of younger kids still need childcare on M-W, so they’re not going to cancel a camp they’ve already paid for. And then a lot would probably want to finish the week instead of going to useless bonus school days.

It's basically the days they tacked on at the end of last year, just front loaded this time!

Wrong. The Superintendent's recommended calendar includes 181 scheduled days of instruction, just like the original calendar that the BOE approved. Those days simply would start 3 days earlier and end 3 days earlier. If there are a lot of school closures for weather or whatever, they will face the exact same choice as they did this year. Either piss off people for holding school on religious holidays, or piss off people for extending the school year.

Right. I’d feel differently if we were increasing to 184 days, but as this stands it’s just ruining the end of summer for no clear purpose

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obviously the best option is to start early.

I think obviously the best option is to use days scheduled for religious observance.