MCPS closing/delaying on Monday?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Definitely no school on Monday. Tues probably also. Get your ducks in a row

I agree.

+2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

The building services staff at my school consists of five people…3 women and 2 men. They are all in their mid to late fifties. They are the best building services staff around. Our building is always impeccably clean and problems are addressed immediately. When we’ve had snow in the past, our building services staff is always outside with shovels in the parking lot, trying to make it as clear as possible and allow for as many parking spaces as possible. We have more staff than available spots in the lot, so staff who arrive later need to park in the neighborhood and walk to the school. This will be a problem with a lot of snow.

I am also in my mid fifties and know I would have difficulty clearing all the sidewalks and walkways around the school. It takes longer than you think to properly clear all the areas after snow.

And yet, once you look out of the DMV, public schools handle this fine.

Can you imagine schools in Minnesota or upstate New York having to close for two days anytime they have snow? And no, they don't have much larger building services staff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

The building services staff at my school consists of five people…3 women and 2 men. They are all in their mid to late fifties. They are the best building services staff around. Our building is always impeccably clean and problems are addressed immediately. When we’ve had snow in the past, our building services staff is always outside with shovels in the parking lot, trying to make it as clear as possible and allow for as many parking spaces as possible. We have more staff than available spots in the lot, so staff who arrive later need to park in the neighborhood and walk to the school. This will be a problem with a lot of snow.

I am also in my mid fifties and know I would have difficulty clearing all the sidewalks and walkways around the school. It takes longer than you think to properly clear all the areas after snow.

And yet, once you look out of the DMV, public schools handle this fine.

Can you imagine schools in Minnesota or upstate New York having to close for two days anytime they have snow? And no, they don't have much larger building services staff.

Well yeah bc they are used to large amounts of snow and removing it more frequently. This doesn’t happen often in the county, hence, more closures

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

The building services staff at my school consists of five people…3 women and 2 men. They are all in their mid to late fifties. They are the best building services staff around. Our building is always impeccably clean and problems are addressed immediately. When we’ve had snow in the past, our building services staff is always outside with shovels in the parking lot, trying to make it as clear as possible and allow for as many parking spaces as possible. We have more staff than available spots in the lot, so staff who arrive later need to park in the neighborhood and walk to the school. This will be a problem with a lot of snow.

I am also in my mid fifties and know I would have difficulty clearing all the sidewalks and walkways around the school. It takes longer than you think to properly clear all the areas after snow.

And yet, once you look out of the DMV, public schools handle this fine.

Can you imagine schools in Minnesota or upstate New York having to close for two days anytime they have snow? And no, they don't have much larger building services staff.

Well yeah bc they are used to large amounts of snow and removing it more frequently. This doesn’t happen often in the county, hence, more closures

So talk to those schools and find out how they manage with similar levels of staff.

It basically comes down to getting to school earlier in the morning, and mechanical devices when possible.

It boggles my mind how stupid some people in the county are when it comes to snow. On at least a couple occasions I've seen a building
services staff member painfully slowly attempting to shovel a wide sidewalk while working next an unused snowblower and lawn tractor with plow.

A lot of our problems don't seem to be the result of insufficient resources, but rather incredibly poor resource management, training, and procedures.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Hard to believe a person would choose the slowest labor intensive way to remove snow.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

The building services staff at my school consists of five people…3 women and 2 men. They are all in their mid to late fifties. They are the best building services staff around. Our building is always impeccably clean and problems are addressed immediately. When we’ve had snow in the past, our building services staff is always outside with shovels in the parking lot, trying to make it as clear as possible and allow for as many parking spaces as possible. We have more staff than available spots in the lot, so staff who arrive later need to park in the neighborhood and walk to the school. This will be a problem with a lot of snow.

I am also in my mid fifties and know I would have difficulty clearing all the sidewalks and walkways around the school. It takes longer than you think to properly clear all the areas after snow.

And yet, once you look out of the DMV, public schools handle this fine.

Can you imagine schools in Minnesota or upstate New York having to close for two days anytime they have snow? And no, they don't have much larger building services staff.

Well yeah bc they are used to large amounts of snow and removing it more frequently. This doesn’t happen often in the county, hence, more closures

So talk to those schools and find out how they manage with similar levels of staff.

It basically comes down to getting to school earlier in the morning, and mechanical devices when possible.

It boggles my mind how stupid some people in the county are when it comes to snow. On at least a couple occasions I've seen a building
services staff member painfully slowly attempting to shovel a wide sidewalk while working next an unused snowblower and lawn tractor with plow.

A lot of our problems don't seem to be the result of insufficient resources, but rather incredibly poor resource management, training, and procedures.

Hard to believe anyone would choose to shovel if the snow blower was operational..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

The building services staff at my school consists of five people…3 women and 2 men. They are all in their mid to late fifties. They are the best building services staff around. Our building is always impeccably clean and problems are addressed immediately. When we’ve had snow in the past, our building services staff is always outside with shovels in the parking lot, trying to make it as clear as possible and allow for as many parking spaces as possible. We have more staff than available spots in the lot, so staff who arrive later need to park in the neighborhood and walk to the school. This will be a problem with a lot of snow.

I am also in my mid fifties and know I would have difficulty clearing all the sidewalks and walkways around the school. It takes longer than you think to properly clear all the areas after snow.

And yet, once you look out of the DMV, public schools handle this fine.

Can you imagine schools in Minnesota or upstate New York having to close for two days anytime they have snow? And no, they don't have much larger building services staff.

Well yeah bc they are used to large amounts of snow and removing it more frequently. This doesn’t happen often in the county, hence, more closures

So talk to those schools and find out how they manage with similar levels of staff.

It basically comes down to getting to school earlier in the morning, and mechanical devices when possible.

It boggles my mind how stupid some people in the county are when it comes to snow. On at least a couple occasions I've seen a building
services staff member painfully slowly attempting to shovel a wide sidewalk while working next an unused snowblower and lawn tractor with plow.

A lot of our problems don't seem to be the result of insufficient resources, but rather incredibly poor resource management, training, and procedures.

I would bet in snow heavy parts of the country they have the equipment already purchased and available to make snow removal easy. That would not be a priority expense for school districts in this area hence more snow days when we actually(rarely) get snow…
It isn’t that big of a deal. Move to the south if you want zero snow days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

The building services staff at my school consists of five people…3 women and 2 men. They are all in their mid to late fifties. They are the best building services staff around. Our building is always impeccably clean and problems are addressed immediately. When we’ve had snow in the past, our building services staff is always outside with shovels in the parking lot, trying to make it as clear as possible and allow for as many parking spaces as possible. We have more staff than available spots in the lot, so staff who arrive later need to park in the neighborhood and walk to the school. This will be a problem with a lot of snow.

I am also in my mid fifties and know I would have difficulty clearing all the sidewalks and walkways around the school. It takes longer than you think to properly clear all the areas after snow.

And yet, once you look out of the DMV, public schools handle this fine.

Can you imagine schools in Minnesota or upstate New York having to close for two days anytime they have snow? And no, they don't have much larger building services staff.

Well yeah bc they are used to large amounts of snow and removing it more frequently. This doesn’t happen often in the county, hence, more closures

So talk to those schools and find out how they manage with similar levels of staff.

It basically comes down to getting to school earlier in the morning, and mechanical devices when possible.

It boggles my mind how stupid some people in the county are when it comes to snow. On at least a couple occasions I've seen a building
services staff member painfully slowly attempting to shovel a wide sidewalk while working next an unused snowblower and lawn tractor with plow.

A lot of our problems don't seem to be the result of insufficient resources, but rather incredibly poor resource management, training, and procedures.

I would bet in snow heavy parts of the country they have the equipment already purchased and available to make snow removal easy. That would not be a priority expense for school districts in this area hence more snow days when we actually(rarely) get snow…
It isn’t that big of a deal. Move to the south if you want zero snow days.

MCPS does have the equipment. At least, I know our local school has it. They just don't use it for some reason. And according to this thread, they don't even have building services staff come in early to clear snow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Hard to believe a person would choose the slowest labor intensive way to remove snow.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

The building services staff at my school consists of five people…3 women and 2 men. They are all in their mid to late fifties. They are the best building services staff around. Our building is always impeccably clean and problems are addressed immediately. When we’ve had snow in the past, our building services staff is always outside with shovels in the parking lot, trying to make it as clear as possible and allow for as many parking spaces as possible. We have more staff than available spots in the lot, so staff who arrive later need to park in the neighborhood and walk to the school. This will be a problem with a lot of snow.

I am also in my mid fifties and know I would have difficulty clearing all the sidewalks and walkways around the school. It takes longer than you think to properly clear all the areas after snow.

And yet, once you look out of the DMV, public schools handle this fine.

Can you imagine schools in Minnesota or upstate New York having to close for two days anytime they have snow? And no, they don't have much larger building services staff.

Well yeah bc they are used to large amounts of snow and removing it more frequently. This doesn’t happen often in the county, hence, more closures

So talk to those schools and find out how they manage with similar levels of staff.

It basically comes down to getting to school earlier in the morning, and mechanical devices when possible.

It boggles my mind how stupid some people in the county are when it comes to snow. On at least a couple occasions I've seen a building
services staff member painfully slowly attempting to shovel a wide sidewalk while working next an unused snowblower and lawn tractor with plow.

A lot of our problems don't seem to be the result of insufficient resources, but rather incredibly poor resource management, training, and procedures.

Hard to believe anyone would choose to shovel if the snow blower was operational..

You can always use snowblowers in place of shovels, but a tractor+plow is usually going to work if it fits. And in this case, it did.

My guess is that school probably has a policy for forbids use of motorized equipment after students start showing up, but then why didn't they so it earlier? Particularly given that snow had stopped about 20 hours earlier in one case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

The building services staff at my school consists of five people…3 women and 2 men. They are all in their mid to late fifties. They are the best building services staff around. Our building is always impeccably clean and problems are addressed immediately. When we’ve had snow in the past, our building services staff is always outside with shovels in the parking lot, trying to make it as clear as possible and allow for as many parking spaces as possible. We have more staff than available spots in the lot, so staff who arrive later need to park in the neighborhood and walk to the school. This will be a problem with a lot of snow.

I am also in my mid fifties and know I would have difficulty clearing all the sidewalks and walkways around the school. It takes longer than you think to properly clear all the areas after snow.

And yet, once you look out of the DMV, public schools handle this fine.

Can you imagine schools in Minnesota or upstate New York having to close for two days anytime they have snow? And no, they don't have much larger building services staff.

Well yeah bc they are used to large amounts of snow and removing it more frequently. This doesn’t happen often in the county, hence, more closures

So talk to those schools and find out how they manage with similar levels of staff.

It basically comes down to getting to school earlier in the morning, and mechanical devices when possible.

It boggles my mind how stupid some people in the county are when it comes to snow. On at least a couple occasions I've seen a building
services staff member painfully slowly attempting to shovel a wide sidewalk while working next an unused snowblower and lawn tractor with plow.

A lot of our problems don't seem to be the result of insufficient resources, but rather incredibly poor resource management, training, and procedures.

It comes down to how much money we as a community are willing to spend. It absolutely is about money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

The building services staff at my school consists of five people…3 women and 2 men. They are all in their mid to late fifties. They are the best building services staff around. Our building is always impeccably clean and problems are addressed immediately. When we’ve had snow in the past, our building services staff is always outside with shovels in the parking lot, trying to make it as clear as possible and allow for as many parking spaces as possible. We have more staff than available spots in the lot, so staff who arrive later need to park in the neighborhood and walk to the school. This will be a problem with a lot of snow.

I am also in my mid fifties and know I would have difficulty clearing all the sidewalks and walkways around the school. It takes longer than you think to properly clear all the areas after snow.

And yet, once you look out of the DMV, public schools handle this fine.

Can you imagine schools in Minnesota or upstate New York having to close for two days anytime they have snow? And no, they don't have much larger building services staff.

Well yeah bc they are used to large amounts of snow and removing it more frequently. This doesn’t happen often in the county, hence, more closures

So talk to those schools and find out how they manage with similar levels of staff.

It basically comes down to getting to school earlier in the morning, and mechanical devices when possible.

It boggles my mind how stupid some people in the county are when it comes to snow. On at least a couple occasions I've seen a building
services staff member painfully slowly attempting to shovel a wide sidewalk while working next an unused snowblower and lawn tractor with plow.

A lot of our problems don't seem to be the result of insufficient resources, but rather incredibly poor resource management, training, and procedures.

I would bet in snow heavy parts of the country they have the equipment already purchased and available to make snow removal easy. That would not be a priority expense for school districts in this area hence more snow days when we actually(rarely) get snow…
It isn’t that big of a deal. Move to the south if you want zero snow days.

Yes other places have more equipment and more staff for smaller geographic space. Our county is really big - over 200 schools!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

The building services staff at my school consists of five people…3 women and 2 men. They are all in their mid to late fifties. They are the best building services staff around. Our building is always impeccably clean and problems are addressed immediately. When we’ve had snow in the past, our building services staff is always outside with shovels in the parking lot, trying to make it as clear as possible and allow for as many parking spaces as possible. We have more staff than available spots in the lot, so staff who arrive later need to park in the neighborhood and walk to the school. This will be a problem with a lot of snow.

I am also in my mid fifties and know I would have difficulty clearing all the sidewalks and walkways around the school. It takes longer than you think to properly clear all the areas after snow.

And yet, once you look out of the DMV, public schools handle this fine.

Can you imagine schools in Minnesota or upstate New York having to close for two days anytime they have snow? And no, they don't have much larger building services staff.

Well yeah bc they are used to large amounts of snow and removing it more frequently. This doesn’t happen often in the county, hence, more closures

So talk to those schools and find out how they manage with similar levels of staff.

It basically comes down to getting to school earlier in the morning, and mechanical devices when possible.

It boggles my mind how stupid some people in the county are when it comes to snow. On at least a couple occasions I've seen a building
services staff member painfully slowly attempting to shovel a wide sidewalk while working next an unused snowblower and lawn tractor with plow.

A lot of our problems don't seem to be the result of insufficient resources, but rather incredibly poor resource management, training, and procedures.

I would bet in snow heavy parts of the country they have the equipment already purchased and available to make snow removal easy. That would not be a priority expense for school districts in this area hence more snow days when we actually(rarely) get snow…
It isn’t that big of a deal. Move to the south if you want zero snow days.

MCPS does have the equipment. At least, I know our local school has it. They just don't use it for some reason. And according to this thread, they don't even have building services staff come in early to clear snow.

I do not think MCPS has the same equipment as upstate NY schools. If they did it would be a waste of funds for our level of snow fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

The building services staff at my school consists of five people…3 women and 2 men. They are all in their mid to late fifties. They are the best building services staff around. Our building is always impeccably clean and problems are addressed immediately. When we’ve had snow in the past, our building services staff is always outside with shovels in the parking lot, trying to make it as clear as possible and allow for as many parking spaces as possible. We have more staff than available spots in the lot, so staff who arrive later need to park in the neighborhood and walk to the school. This will be a problem with a lot of snow.

I am also in my mid fifties and know I would have difficulty clearing all the sidewalks and walkways around the school. It takes longer than you think to properly clear all the areas after snow.

And yet, once you look out of the DMV, public schools handle this fine.

Can you imagine schools in Minnesota or upstate New York having to close for two days anytime they have snow? And no, they don't have much larger building services staff.

Well yeah bc they are used to large amounts of snow and removing it more frequently. This doesn’t happen often in the county, hence, more closures

So talk to those schools and find out how they manage with similar levels of staff.

It basically comes down to getting to school earlier in the morning, and mechanical devices when possible.

It boggles my mind how stupid some people in the county are when it comes to snow. On at least a couple occasions I've seen a building
services staff member painfully slowly attempting to shovel a wide sidewalk while working next an unused snowblower and lawn tractor with plow.

A lot of our problems don't seem to be the result of insufficient resources, but rather incredibly poor resource management, training, and procedures.

I would bet in snow heavy parts of the country they have the equipment already purchased and available to make snow removal easy. That would not be a priority expense for school districts in this area hence more snow days when we actually(rarely) get snow…
It isn’t that big of a deal. Move to the south if you want zero snow days.

MCPS does have the equipment. At least, I know our local school has it. They just don't use it for some reason. And according to this thread, they don't even have building services staff come in early to clear snow.

I do not think MCPS has the same equipment as upstate NY schools. If they did it would be a waste of funds for our level of snow fall.

We also don't tend to get as much now when it falls.

I can't speak for the schools across the county, but I have seen the equipment our elementary school has. Given they only need to clear the sidewalks, it's absolutely sufficient to reopen after the morning after a ~4" snowfall, or a day after a more significant winter storm. But it would mean starting work a few hours before buses start arriving, like they do in other parts of the country.

[Anonymous]

I'm calling no school Monday, no school Tuesday, toss up Wednesday, and likely delay Thursday too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm calling no school Monday, no school Tuesday, toss up Wednesday, and likely delay Thursday too.

You're going to be disappointed.

And I suspect you'll also be oddly mad when MCPS has to use make-up days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

The building services staff at my school consists of five people…3 women and 2 men. They are all in their mid to late fifties. They are the best building services staff around. Our building is always impeccably clean and problems are addressed immediately. When we’ve had snow in the past, our building services staff is always outside with shovels in the parking lot, trying to make it as clear as possible and allow for as many parking spaces as possible. We have more staff than available spots in the lot, so staff who arrive later need to park in the neighborhood and walk to the school. This will be a problem with a lot of snow.

I am also in my mid fifties and know I would have difficulty clearing all the sidewalks and walkways around the school. It takes longer than you think to properly clear all the areas after snow.

And yet, once you look out of the DMV, public schools handle this fine.

Can you imagine schools in Minnesota or upstate New York having to close for two days anytime they have snow? And no, they don't have much larger building services staff.

Well yeah bc they are used to large amounts of snow and removing it more frequently. This doesn’t happen often in the county, hence, more closures

So talk to those schools and find out how they manage with similar levels of staff.

It basically comes down to getting to school earlier in the morning, and mechanical devices when possible.

It boggles my mind how stupid some people in the county are when it comes to snow. On at least a couple occasions I've seen a building
services staff member painfully slowly attempting to shovel a wide sidewalk while working next an unused snowblower and lawn tractor with plow.

A lot of our problems don't seem to be the result of insufficient resources, but rather incredibly poor resource management, training, and procedures.

I would bet in snow heavy parts of the country they have the equipment already purchased and available to make snow removal easy. That would not be a priority expense for school districts in this area hence more snow days when we actually(rarely) get snow…
It isn’t that big of a deal. Move to the south if you want zero snow days.

MCPS does have the equipment. At least, I know our local school has it. They just don't use it for some reason. And according to this thread, they don't even have building services staff come in early to clear snow.

As I posted before, at the elementary school in front of my house, there's one janitor clearing up the snow with one snowblower. He works business hours, after the snow has stopped falling. I imagine it's the same in every MCPS school, give or take a few people and equipment that may or may not be in working order at the time of the snowfall. We don't get that sort of snow every winter, so money is better spent elsewhere. Goodness knows MCPS takes up half of the County budget yet is always in need of more funds! Snow removal is not a priority. The burden of finding childcare on snow days is shifted onto parents. It is what it is.