HB1084

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If true that this bill would cover future years, why is this happening under cover or pretense of helping with this year’s snow days? Reducing school days permanently is a BFD.

It's not happening under cover or simple pretense of helping with snow days. Anne Arundel county's Bill passed last summer, and MCPS followed-up with a similar bill (in an effort to make this a universal in MD school systems). It's just that the legislature is voting on the bill earlier than planned (and considering making it retroactive to this year) because it would create needed flexibility due to the snowcrete storm. It's not new, it's not secret, and it's not unique.

Maryland is unusual in that it has two separate and unnecessary requirements for school systems to meet. As long as we meet a minimum number of hours (there are also parameters in the current law for minimum and maximum hours allowed per day), there's no reason to do it in a particular number of days. If this bill passed, we would not be able to move to a 4-day school week or do anything particularly drastic because of the parameters in the law regarding the actual school day structure.

We well exceed the minimum hourly requirement, even with the snow days we've had.

No, Maryland is not unusual. It is very, very try common to have minimums for both instructional days and hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If we can’t switch to counting minutes I would like to revisit the length of the school day. If the extra minutes count for nothing, make the days shorter, especially for the elementary kids.

lol. Sure. I'd love to see your testimony to the BoE saying kids are learning too much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would skip work and go testify against this. When and where?

Call your reps. And the county council (who talk to them). Email as well, but be sure to call whenever you can get ahold of. Be annoying.

[Anonymous]

The #1 group this will hurt is low income children and families. #2 is kids who are struggling post pandemic and need instructional time. I’m sure there are others. So irresponsible and shameful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If true that this bill would cover future years, why is this happening under cover or pretense of helping with this year’s snow days? Reducing school days permanently is a BFD.

It's not happening under cover or simple pretense of helping with snow days. Anne Arundel county's Bill passed last summer, and MCPS followed-up with a similar bill (in an effort to make this a universal in MD school systems). It's just that the legislature is voting on the bill earlier than planned (and considering making it retroactive to this year) because it would create needed flexibility due to the snowcrete storm. It's not new, it's not secret, and it's not unique.

Maryland is unusual in that it has two separate and unnecessary requirements for school systems to meet. As long as we meet a minimum number of hours (there are also parameters in the current law for minimum and maximum hours allowed per day), there's no reason to do it in a particular number of days. If this bill passed, we would not be able to move to a 4-day school week or do anything particularly drastic because of the parameters in the law regarding the actual school day structure.

We well exceed the minimum hourly requirement, even with the snow days we've had.

Oh interesting. Any links you can share regarding the Anne Arundel thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS already goes well above the required hours. Whoever thinks they are trying to pull a "fast one" hasn't done spent any time actually researching the bill or done a comparison to other states' requirements.

It does NOT let them have fewer school days.

They are absolutely trying to pull a fast one, telling people this is about this year’s situation when in fact it would permanently and substantially lower the number of days of required instruction. And everyone knows they already meet the hour requirement; the point is that this would substantially reduce instructional days. I would prefer for kids to have shorter days but more consistently be in school, as havibg regular instruction is critical, especially for ES. If they want to slightly shorten days fine by me — but MCPS students should still get at least 180 of instruction. - DP

[Anonymous]

I agree the added days at the end of the school year are not productive, I also understand the days were on the initial calendar as make up days, so thus

I also think we need more than one built in snow day.

Additionally, I do think there are sometimes circumstances that would allow for a waiver or forgiving days, and that happened when we scheduled 185 days and some years went over the 180 and other years didn't. Now we only plan for the minimum.

The real reason I'm opposed to the bill long term is that having an hours AND days regulation ensures that both are considered. IF we just had days- imagine how more and more 1/2 days and 2 hours delays could creep in making 180 days, but many of them ineffective because of the interruptions.
IF we just have hours, think about how this could be abused - longer classes don't always mean more learning- you need time for repetition and to digest topics, plus longer school days lead to more scheduled time for recess/advisory or and often less time on task because kids and teachers are exhausted and not able to take in anything more.

I am in favor of a requirement for a minimum number of days and hours...

We are in this position because MCPS has tried to cut it so close to the requirement that they have nothing left for unusual circumstances. It's like spending every last cent with nothing in savings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I agree the added days at the end of the school year are not productive, I also understand the days were on the initial calendar as make up days, so thus

I also think we need more than one built in snow day.

Additionally, I do think there are sometimes circumstances that would allow for a waiver or forgiving days, and that happened when we scheduled 185 days and some years went over the 180 and other years didn't. Now we only plan for the minimum.

The real reason I'm opposed to the bill long term is that having an hours AND days regulation ensures that both are considered. IF we just had days- imagine how more and more 1/2 days and 2 hours delays could creep in making 180 days, but many of them ineffective because of the interruptions.
IF we just have hours, think about how this could be abused - longer classes don't always mean more learning- you need time for repetition and to digest topics, plus longer school days lead to more scheduled time for recess/advisory or and often less time on task because kids and teachers are exhausted and not able to take in anything more.

I am in favor of a requirement for a minimum number of days and hours...

We are in this position because MCPS has tried to cut it so close to the requirement that they have nothing left for unusual circumstances. It's like spending every last cent with nothing in savings.

100% and there is a waiver process built in, but MCPS refuses to follow it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we can’t switch to counting minutes I would like to revisit the length of the school day. If the extra minutes count for nothing, make the days shorter, especially for the elementary kids.

lol. Sure. I'd love to see your testimony to the BoE saying kids are learning too much.

I’m kind of joking because I know there’s no will for this — parents want childcare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS already goes well above the required hours. Whoever thinks they are trying to pull a "fast one" hasn't done spent any time actually researching the bill or done a comparison to other states' requirements.

It does NOT let them have fewer school days.

Are you a shrill for the teachers union or MCPS? That’s literally what the plain language of the bill does. Right now MCPS is required, as every other district, to provide both days AND hours. The bill would say “eh, hours is fine.” I want more school for my kids, not less.

You are being ridiculous. More days where students learn nothing is wasted time. If you like to pretend that kids are learning just because they are physically inside the school building, then have at it I guess but it’s pretty dumb

Oh just stop trolling. You know very well that MCPS could do proper planning with more snow days built in as they used to do, and contingency days actually used as close to the closure as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no point in having school on Christmas or New Year's. Too many teachers and students would not show up. It would be a useless day just like the days tacked on at the end. And that's also an issue for the Jewish holidays. I don't understand why anyone is proposing this as a solution.

Winter break can still be winter break. Get rid of Good Friday and Easter Monday. Yes I know “state requirement” but that’s a bill I could support — making those available for makeup days.

Yes, why don't you get right on that with your advocacy of changing that law that has been there for generations.

Or you could write the BOE and tell them it's important that MCPS put in more than 1 snow day into the calendar, and that it puts makeup days on the calendar that it intends to use. And that it submits the virtual learning plan for snow emergencies that it promised the BOE it would prepare in 2024. These 3 actions are more attainable.

Why not all of the above? Getting to a calendar with more actual makeup days and actual snow days will require going up some days off somewhere in the calendar. The reason why we have so many seemingly random days off is because we’re trying to accommodate everyone. There isn’t a way to accomplish your ask without taking holidays…

Fairfax County has similarly diverse holidays accomodated, but starts one week earlier than MCPS in August. Fine with me. Anything would better of this status quo of having kids not get 180 days of instructional time each year because MCPS refuses to put in snow days.

Lol whats with hitting this magical 180 days? Hint: IT'S MADE UP. Some states have 160. Some have 178. Some have 175. Some have no requirements at all when it comes to days. It's an imaginary number. It doesn't magically make learning happen. I can't believe this has to be explained to grown adults.

Most states have 180. "The most common way that states regulate instructional time is to set a minimum number of days for the school year; 38 states and the District of Columbia do so. The majority of those states (27 of 38), along with D.C., mandate 180 instructional days, making it the closest thing the country has to a national norm."

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/09/07/in-the-u-s-180-days-of-school-is-most-common-but-length-of-school-day-varies-by-state/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If true that this bill would cover future years, why is this happening under cover or pretense of helping with this year’s snow days? Reducing school days permanently is a BFD.

Exactly. And they’re purposefully using the upset of pushing the school year to nearly July to do it.

+1. MCPS is so manipulative. Make the extra days this year as useless as possible in order to maximize chance of passage. Gross.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The #1 group this will hurt is low income children and families. #2 is kids who are struggling post pandemic and need instructional time. I’m sure there are others. So irresponsible and shameful.

+1. Shameful that MCPS and our state delegation would push them when they supposedly care so much about equity and impacts on black, brown, and low-income students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we can’t switch to counting minutes I would like to revisit the length of the school day. If the extra minutes count for nothing, make the days shorter, especially for the elementary kids.

lol. Sure. I'd love to see your testimony to the BoE saying kids are learning too much.

+1. Yes please link to when you do that so we can all see your brilliant narrative advocating for less instructional time when half of McPS kids can’t read or do math at grade level proficiency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If true that this bill would cover future years, why is this happening under cover or pretense of helping with this year’s snow days? Reducing school days permanently is a BFD.

It's not happening under cover or simple pretense of helping with snow days. Anne Arundel county's Bill passed last summer, and MCPS followed-up with a similar bill (in an effort to make this a universal in MD school systems). It's just that the legislature is voting on the bill earlier than planned (and considering making it retroactive to this year) because it would create needed flexibility due to the snowcrete storm. It's not new, it's not secret, and it's not unique.

Maryland is unusual in that it has two separate and unnecessary requirements for school systems to meet. As long as we meet a minimum number of hours (there are also parameters in the current law for minimum and maximum hours allowed per day), there's no reason to do it in a particular number of days. If this bill passed, we would not be able to move to a 4-day school week or do anything particularly drastic because of the parameters in the law regarding the actual school day structure.

We well exceed the minimum hourly requirement, even with the snow days we've had.

Anne Arundel's is much more narrow. It says "Subject to the requirements of this subsection, the Anne Arundel
County Board of Education may elect to operate all of the schools within the county using a scheduling model that eliminates early dismissal days to allow for less than 180 school
days if the minimal hours of attendance are met."

What MCPS is asking for is to basically eliminate the days requirement entirely. It would give MCPS the authority to drop down to like 170 days a year on a permanent basis.