2026-2027 calendar updates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Summer school ends Aug 6. Going back Aug 10 amounts to a long weekend break for those teachers.

I’m teaching summer school too. They made the daily hours longer, they made the number of weeks longer, and now they’re making the summer shorter.

Not what I had hoped 😟

But obviously TT is hoping to keep teachers happy with “fire ribbons.”

You know how these weekly “fire ribbons” work, right? If you are the recipient, then you (the staff member who received the blue ribbon with a sticker on it) must submit another staff member’s name to admin within the week and write a few paragraphs about the person (saying all wonderful things about them and why they should be recognized, etc.). It becomes one more thing to do. Additionally, (at least at my school) you have to look up previous recipients to find someone who hasn’t received the award.

Wow, that is a really lazy way for management to appreciate staff. Just delegate it to the staff lol smh

[Anonymous]

I’d rather come back in early August than lose the full grading and reporting days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who knows what they will do. Maybe MCEA is calling Taylor's bluff which I support. If your kid misses the first two days of school, it will be fine, hardly catastrophic if not ideal. I assume it will be worse for the teachers to have kids slowly streaming in the first 3 days of school. Seems like this will mean starting off with 2 fewer days of actual instruction. If teachers miss 3 days of preservice, I feel for them and hope they don't lose leave days because of it. Taylor and the BOE have done a lot of stupid things, this is one on a very long list of them.

Of course they will have to take leave if they don’t show up for work.

That sucks because in order to show up many will have to lose money on travel that has been booked or other jobs. I don't know about you but I think that's a 5h!tty way to treat my kid's wonderful teachers.

I hope teachers are pushing MCPS to choose another option, and for the union to negotiate to allow makeups as 1/2 days on grading and reporting. Otherwise they will need to show up as early as Aug 10th.

MCEA told teachers there is nothing they can do except fill out the survey, unfortunately. I agree that they could be doing more to push Taylor and the board. But they didn't even poll teachers.

MCEA has no input on the calendar.

They have impact on the grading days. That’s what TT is targeting. He wants MCEA to relent on that contract requirement.

Teachers need those days for grading and reporting. Better to get rid of a few PD days, and make the day before Thanksgiving and 12/23 early release days, and get rid of transition day.

Better yet, people need to advocate for counting hours of instruction or (not and) days.

In reality MCPS never utilizes the feedback from its surveys. They’ve already made the decision regarding the calendar.

PD is required by state law. If we have a snow day, teachers should use that to catch up on grading and allow the next grading to be a makeup day.

I’m very against getting rid of the days requirement

And if the snow day falls two weeks into the marking period?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d rather come back in early August than lose the full grading and reporting days.

There is no need for teachers to give up the grading and reporting days. There are numerous other options for both this year and future years. Teachers should not have to give this up just because TT is too proud to nix the transition day, too chicken sh$t to say November 9 is not the main day of Diwali and it is definitely ok to have school on that day, and too incompetent to work with the Muslim community to allow an actual makeup day on one of the Eids pending changes to state law to allow school on Good Friday and Easter Monday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who knows what they will do. Maybe MCEA is calling Taylor's bluff which I support. If your kid misses the first two days of school, it will be fine, hardly catastrophic if not ideal. I assume it will be worse for the teachers to have kids slowly streaming in the first 3 days of school. Seems like this will mean starting off with 2 fewer days of actual instruction. If teachers miss 3 days of preservice, I feel for them and hope they don't lose leave days because of it. Taylor and the BOE have done a lot of stupid things, this is one on a very long list of them.

Of course they will have to take leave if they don’t show up for work.

That sucks because in order to show up many will have to lose money on travel that has been booked or other jobs. I don't know about you but I think that's a 5h!tty way to treat my kid's wonderful teachers.

I hope teachers are pushing MCPS to choose another option, and for the union to negotiate to allow makeups as 1/2 days on grading and reporting. Otherwise they will need to show up as early as Aug 10th.

MCEA told teachers there is nothing they can do except fill out the survey, unfortunately. I agree that they could be doing more to push Taylor and the board. But they didn't even poll teachers.

MCEA has no input on the calendar.

They have impact on the grading days. That’s what TT is targeting. He wants MCEA to relent on that contract requirement.

Teachers need those days for grading and reporting. Better to get rid of a few PD days, and make the day before Thanksgiving and 12/23 early release days, and get rid of transition day.

Better yet, people need to advocate for counting hours of instruction or (not and) days.

In reality MCPS never utilizes the feedback from its surveys. They’ve already made the decision regarding the calendar.

PD is required by state law. If we have a snow day, teachers should use that to catch up on grading and allow the next grading to be a makeup day.

I’m very against getting rid of the days requirement

And if the snow day falls two weeks into the marking period?

Use the snow day to get ahead on planning. Then you have more time for grading later on. It's not that hard. A day without school that you are being paid for should be used productively and replace the day you would have had for that planning/grading.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone seen the Board Docs for the meeting on Thursday? It's supposed to be posted 4 days prior. I wanted to see if anyone is speaking on this topic (of moving school start date).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d rather come back in early August than lose the full grading and reporting days.

There is no need for teachers to give up the grading and reporting days. There are numerous other options for both this year and future years. Teachers should not have to give this up just because TT is too proud to nix the transition day, too chicken sh$t to say November 9 is not the main day of Diwali and it is definitely ok to have school on that day, and too incompetent to work with the Muslim community to allow an actual makeup day on one of the Eids pending changes to state law to allow school on Good Friday and Easter Monday.

But because of the backlash this year to using a day that was already designated as a makeup day for over a year prior that aligned with Eid, TT doesn't want to touch any holidays going forward. I fully disagree with it.

If the board does nothing and actually uses the days THEY'VE ALREADY DESIGNATED for the 2026-27 school year that don't go beyond Juneteenth, they are already all set with the MSDE requirements. But they refuse to touch the holidays because, "equity"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d rather come back in early August than lose the full grading and reporting days.

There is no need for teachers to give up the grading and reporting days. There are numerous other options for both this year and future years. Teachers should not have to give this up just because TT is too proud to nix the transition day, too chicken sh$t to say November 9 is not the main day of Diwali and it is definitely ok to have school on that day, and too incompetent to work with the Muslim community to allow an actual makeup day on one of the Eids pending changes to state law to allow school on Good Friday and Easter Monday.

+1. Very unimpressed with Taylor on this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who knows what they will do. Maybe MCEA is calling Taylor's bluff which I support. If your kid misses the first two days of school, it will be fine, hardly catastrophic if not ideal. I assume it will be worse for the teachers to have kids slowly streaming in the first 3 days of school. Seems like this will mean starting off with 2 fewer days of actual instruction. If teachers miss 3 days of preservice, I feel for them and hope they don't lose leave days because of it. Taylor and the BOE have done a lot of stupid things, this is one on a very long list of them.

Of course they will have to take leave if they don’t show up for work.

That sucks because in order to show up many will have to lose money on travel that has been booked or other jobs. I don't know about you but I think that's a 5h!tty way to treat my kid's wonderful teachers.

I hope teachers are pushing MCPS to choose another option, and for the union to negotiate to allow makeups as 1/2 days on grading and reporting. Otherwise they will need to show up as early as Aug 10th.

MCEA told teachers there is nothing they can do except fill out the survey, unfortunately. I agree that they could be doing more to push Taylor and the board. But they didn't even poll teachers.

MCEA has no input on the calendar.

They have impact on the grading days. That’s what TT is targeting. He wants MCEA to relent on that contract requirement.

Teachers need those days for grading and reporting. Better to get rid of a few PD days, and make the day before Thanksgiving and 12/23 early release days, and get rid of transition day.

Better yet, people need to advocate for counting hours of instruction or (not and) days.

In reality MCPS never utilizes the feedback from its surveys. They’ve already made the decision regarding the calendar.

PD is required by state law. If we have a snow day, teachers should use that to catch up on grading and allow the next grading to be a makeup day.

I’m very against getting rid of the days requirement

And if the snow day falls two weeks into the marking period?

Use the snow day to get ahead on planning. Then you have more time for grading later on. It's not that hard. A day without school that you are being paid for should be used productively and replace the day you would have had for that planning/grading.

I'm not a teacher but I have a young child and don't get a lot done on most snow days since they also close child care on those days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d rather come back in early August than lose the full grading and reporting days.

There is no need for teachers to give up the grading and reporting days. There are numerous other options for both this year and future years. Teachers should not have to give this up just because TT is too proud to nix the transition day, too chicken sh$t to say November 9 is not the main day of Diwali and it is definitely ok to have school on that day, and too incompetent to work with the Muslim community to allow an actual makeup day on one of the Eids pending changes to state law to allow school on Good Friday and Easter Monday.

+1000

[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:Who knows what they will do. Maybe MCEA is calling Taylor's bluff which I support. If your kid misses the first two days of school, it will be fine, hardly catastrophic if not ideal. I assume it will be worse for the teachers to have kids slowly streaming in the first 3 days of school. Seems like this will mean starting off with 2 fewer days of actual instruction. If teachers miss 3 days of preservice, I feel for them and hope they don't lose leave days because of it. Taylor and the BOE have done a lot of stupid things, this is one on a very long list of them.

Of course they will have to take leave if they don’t show up for work.

That sucks because in order to show up many will have to lose money on travel that has been booked or other jobs. I don't know about you but I think that's a 5h!tty way to treat my kid's wonderful teachers.

I hope teachers are pushing MCPS to choose another option, and for the union to negotiate to allow makeups as 1/2 days on grading and reporting. Otherwise they will need to show up as early as Aug 10th.

MCEA told teachers there is nothing they can do except fill out the survey, unfortunately. I agree that they could be doing more to push Taylor and the board. But they didn't even poll teachers.

MCEA has no input on the calendar.

They have impact on the grading days. That’s what TT is targeting. He wants MCEA to relent on that contract requirement.

Teachers need those days for grading and reporting. Better to get rid of a few PD days, and make the day before Thanksgiving and 12/23 early release days, and get rid of transition day.

Better yet, people need to advocate for counting hours of instruction or (not and) days.

In reality MCPS never utilizes the feedback from its surveys. They’ve already made the decision regarding the calendar.

PD is required by state law. If we have a snow day, teachers should use that to catch up on grading and allow the next grading to be a makeup day.

I’m very against getting rid of the days requirement

And if the snow day falls two weeks into the marking period?

Use the snow day to get ahead on planning. Then you have more time for grading later on. It's not that hard. A day without school that you are being paid for should be used productively and replace the day you would have had for that planning/grading.

I'm not a teacher but I have a young child and don't get a lot done on most snow days since they also close child care on those days.

Then like everyone else, teachers should have to take PTO or a sick day to cover the childcare on those days. Why are teachers the exception here and expect they don't have to work when being paid to do so on a snow day? I also have to work and have an elementary student. If I can't work, I have to take PTO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d rather come back in early August than lose the full grading and reporting days.

There is no need for teachers to give up the grading and reporting days. There are numerous other options for both this year and future years. Teachers should not have to give this up just because TT is too proud to nix the transition day, too chicken sh$t to say November 9 is not the main day of Diwali and it is definitely ok to have school on that day, and too incompetent to work with the Muslim community to allow an actual makeup day on one of the Eids pending changes to state law to allow school on Good Friday and Easter Monday.

+3

[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:Who knows what they will do. Maybe MCEA is calling Taylor's bluff which I support. If your kid misses the first two days of school, it will be fine, hardly catastrophic if not ideal. I assume it will be worse for the teachers to have kids slowly streaming in the first 3 days of school. Seems like this will mean starting off with 2 fewer days of actual instruction. If teachers miss 3 days of preservice, I feel for them and hope they don't lose leave days because of it. Taylor and the BOE have done a lot of stupid things, this is one on a very long list of them.

Of course they will have to take leave if they don’t show up for work.

That sucks because in order to show up many will have to lose money on travel that has been booked or other jobs. I don't know about you but I think that's a 5h!tty way to treat my kid's wonderful teachers.

I hope teachers are pushing MCPS to choose another option, and for the union to negotiate to allow makeups as 1/2 days on grading and reporting. Otherwise they will need to show up as early as Aug 10th.

MCEA told teachers there is nothing they can do except fill out the survey, unfortunately. I agree that they could be doing more to push Taylor and the board. But they didn't even poll teachers.

MCEA has no input on the calendar.

They have impact on the grading days. That’s what TT is targeting. He wants MCEA to relent on that contract requirement.

Teachers need those days for grading and reporting. Better to get rid of a few PD days, and make the day before Thanksgiving and 12/23 early release days, and get rid of transition day.

Better yet, people need to advocate for counting hours of instruction or (not and) days.

In reality MCPS never utilizes the feedback from its surveys. They’ve already made the decision regarding the calendar.

PD is required by state law. If we have a snow day, teachers should use that to catch up on grading and allow the next grading to be a makeup day.

I’m very against getting rid of the days requirement

And if the snow day falls two weeks into the marking period?

Use the snow day to get ahead on planning. Then you have more time for grading later on. It's not that hard. A day without school that you are being paid for should be used productively and replace the day you would have had for that planning/grading.

I'm not a teacher but I have a young child and don't get a lot done on most snow days since they also close child care on those days.

Then like everyone else, teachers should have to take PTO or a sick day to cover the childcare on those days. Why are teachers the exception here and expect they don't have to work when being paid to do so on a snow day? I also have to work and have an elementary student. If I can't work, I have to take PTO. [/quote
That's ridiculous. Teachers have so little flexibility in the first place. I don't support this at all. Especially given workloads for teachers like for many professionals vary throughout the year. Working on a snow day in February is simply not going to make up for losing a grading day in April. Stop embarrassing yourself.

[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:Who knows what they will do. Maybe MCEA is calling Taylor's bluff which I support. If your kid misses the first two days of school, it will be fine, hardly catastrophic if not ideal. I assume it will be worse for the teachers to have kids slowly streaming in the first 3 days of school. Seems like this will mean starting off with 2 fewer days of actual instruction. If teachers miss 3 days of preservice, I feel for them and hope they don't lose leave days because of it. Taylor and the BOE have done a lot of stupid things, this is one on a very long list of them.

Of course they will have to take leave if they don’t show up for work.

That sucks because in order to show up many will have to lose money on travel that has been booked or other jobs. I don't know about you but I think that's a 5h!tty way to treat my kid's wonderful teachers.

I hope teachers are pushing MCPS to choose another option, and for the union to negotiate to allow makeups as 1/2 days on grading and reporting. Otherwise they will need to show up as early as Aug 10th.

MCEA told teachers there is nothing they can do except fill out the survey, unfortunately. I agree that they could be doing more to push Taylor and the board. But they didn't even poll teachers.

MCEA has no input on the calendar.

They have impact on the grading days. That’s what TT is targeting. He wants MCEA to relent on that contract requirement.

Teachers need those days for grading and reporting. Better to get rid of a few PD days, and make the day before Thanksgiving and 12/23 early release days, and get rid of transition day.

Better yet, people need to advocate for counting hours of instruction or (not and) days.

In reality MCPS never utilizes the feedback from its surveys. They’ve already made the decision regarding the calendar.

PD is required by state law. If we have a snow day, teachers should use that to catch up on grading and allow the next grading to be a makeup day.

I’m very against getting rid of the days requirement

And if the snow day falls two weeks into the marking period?

Use the snow day to get ahead on planning. Then you have more time for grading later on. It's not that hard. A day without school that you are being paid for should be used productively and replace the day you would have had for that planning/grading.

I'm not a teacher but I have a young child and don't get a lot done on most snow days since they also close child care on those days.

Then like everyone else, teachers should have to take PTO or a sick day to cover the childcare on those days. Why are teachers the exception here and expect they don't have to work when being paid to do so on a snow day? I also have to work and have an elementary student. If I can't work, I have to take PTO.

That's ridiculous. Teachers have so little flexibility in the first place. I don't support this at all. Especially given workloads for teachers like for many professionals vary throughout the year. Working on a snow day in February is simply not going to make up for losing a grading day in April. Stop embarrassing yourself.

[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:Who knows what they will do. Maybe MCEA is calling Taylor's bluff which I support. If your kid misses the first two days of school, it will be fine, hardly catastrophic if not ideal. I assume it will be worse for the teachers to have kids slowly streaming in the first 3 days of school. Seems like this will mean starting off with 2 fewer days of actual instruction. If teachers miss 3 days of preservice, I feel for them and hope they don't lose leave days because of it. Taylor and the BOE have done a lot of stupid things, this is one on a very long list of them.

Of course they will have to take leave if they don’t show up for work.

That sucks because in order to show up many will have to lose money on travel that has been booked or other jobs. I don't know about you but I think that's a 5h!tty way to treat my kid's wonderful teachers.

I hope teachers are pushing MCPS to choose another option, and for the union to negotiate to allow makeups as 1/2 days on grading and reporting. Otherwise they will need to show up as early as Aug 10th.

MCEA told teachers there is nothing they can do except fill out the survey, unfortunately. I agree that they could be doing more to push Taylor and the board. But they didn't even poll teachers.

MCEA has no input on the calendar.

They have impact on the grading days. That’s what TT is targeting. He wants MCEA to relent on that contract requirement.

Teachers need those days for grading and reporting. Better to get rid of a few PD days, and make the day before Thanksgiving and 12/23 early release days, and get rid of transition day.

Better yet, people need to advocate for counting hours of instruction or (not and) days.

In reality MCPS never utilizes the feedback from its surveys. They’ve already made the decision regarding the calendar.

PD is required by state law. If we have a snow day, teachers should use that to catch up on grading and allow the next grading to be a makeup day.

I’m very against getting rid of the days requirement

And if the snow day falls two weeks into the marking period?

Use the snow day to get ahead on planning. Then you have more time for grading later on. It's not that hard. A day without school that you are being paid for should be used productively and replace the day you would have had for that planning/grading.

I'm not a teacher but I have a young child and don't get a lot done on most snow days since they also close child care on those days.

Then like everyone else, teachers should have to take PTO or a sick day to cover the childcare on those days. Why are teachers the exception here and expect they don't have to work when being paid to do so on a snow day? I also have to work and have an elementary student. If I can't work, I have to take PTO.

That's ridiculous. Teachers have so little flexibility in the first place. I don't support this at all. Especially given workloads for teachers like for many professionals vary throughout the year. Working on a snow day in February is simply not going to make up for losing a grading day in April. Stop embarrassing yourself.

Then start advocating for TT and MCPS to use the holidays they've already designated as makeup days. Truly, those are the only two options.