Earlier start date proposed for MCPS

[Anonymous]

So for at least 15 years MCPS has started one week before Labor Day. Now they want to start almost two weeks before and they are only giving three days notice that the BOE will be voting on this Tuesday. This is a significant change with no opportunity for public input.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm all for giving feedback to the BOE, but my problem is with how the new PD was added at the last minute. In the Nov. BOE meeting, Barclay was clear that "I don't know how you need to change the calendar to make up for this day. That's for MCPS staff to figure out. But we MUST have this holiday." I hold him 100% accountable for result of a last minute decision.

The two BOE members who voted against said their decision was due to the uncertainty of when the holiday will actually occur (sounds like it will more likely be on Sunday 9/11; the State's calendar has it as 9/11) and also the fact that Barclay/BOE didn't have any clue on how to work in the extra day off since the last day of school was scheduled to be a Friday.

I'd like my feedback to be constructive, but I'm just mainly mad at Barclay.

Constructive Feedback? Professional day was added at the last minute, without knowledge of the actual date of the holiday, which appears to be a Sunday. Why don't we skip it this year and try again next year? Or, it is foolish to make multiple calendar changes at the last possible moment, how about spending $7 million and calling it a day? Or there are any of the options discussed on the board, like the floating summer professional day, or just cutting a professional day from pre-service week. It doesn't fix the lost instructional day, but something apparently has to give.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a time all Maryland Public schools started AFTER Labor Day. Why do they need so many professional days after the start of the school year? Couldn't all the training take place before the kids start school to eliminate the need to keep inching the start date further into August? Seriously, why do they need a professional day on September 12th?

When?

Of course, there was also a time when all Maryland public schools were segregated. So I don't think that "people used to do it this way", by itself, is much of an argument for doing it that way now.

A long. LONG time ago. Like 2000. The MCPS web page lists calendars only going back to 2006-2007 school year, which began prior to Labor Day. I was new to MoCo in 2000 and think that was about when they changed.

In 1998-1999, school started on August 31, and Labor Day was on September 7.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/qa/monschl.htm#calendar

I was in the area in 1998, but not my current house in MoCo (moved there in 2000). Really thought it was 2000, but it definitely could have been before. There was quite the public outcry with unhappy parents.

[Anonymous]

If you are annoyed at Barclay, then write Barclay.

[Anonymous]

Don't forget to complain about the other changes- November went from having a four day weekend to having a Wednesday off one week and a Tuesday off the next.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So for at least 15 years MCPS has started one week before Labor Day. Now they want to start almost two weeks before and they are only giving three days notice that the BOE will be voting on this Tuesday. This is a significant change with no opportunity for public input.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't forget to complain about the other changes- November went from having a four day weekend to having a Wednesday off one week and a Tuesday off the next.

Yes, but the November switch is due to the change in the start date. The new marking period ends 2 days earlier. The 2016-17 calendar was originally written (I believe) as that Friday as a holiday,then school on Monday, election day holiday on Tuesday. I was very pleased to see that MCPS adjusted the teacher workday to account for that poor continuity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are annoyed at Barclay, then write Barclay.

Trust me; he'll getting a special email from me, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So for at least 15 years MCPS has started one week before Labor Day. Now they want to start almost two weeks before and they are only giving three days notice that the BOE will be voting on this Tuesday. This is a significant change with no opportunity for public input.

Starting school a few days earlier is "a significant change"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will someone please, please consider the "traditional international time for family vacations!" Its the TRADITIONAL TIME. I'm so tired of MCPS interfering with the traditional time for us to travel to Europe or Mexico for vacations.

It's the traditional time in DC because we're a company town and Congress is shuttered in late August. This year the Senate's last day is 8/10. Lobbyists, staffers, attorneys - anyone who works with Congress on a regular basis gets a breather after the 10th. The 10th is apparently a Wed, so if you need to finish out the work week, you cannot take a 2 week vacation (anywhere, even at Grandma's) and get to school on 8/24, which is really 8/23 for those elementary schools that don't announce teachers until the day before school starts.

It's not only about fancy international travel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So for at least 15 years MCPS has started one week before Labor Day. Now they want to start almost two weeks before and they are only giving three days notice that the BOE will be voting on this Tuesday. This is a significant change with no opportunity for public input.

Starting school a few days earlier is "a significant change"?

It involves a weekend so it's really a 5 day calendar change. Perhaps not for you but for some it's significant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So for at least 15 years MCPS has started one week before Labor Day. Now they want to start almost two weeks before and they are only giving three days notice that the BOE will be voting on this Tuesday. This is a significant change with no opportunity for public input.

Starting school a few days earlier is "a significant change"?

It works out to essentially mean a week less of summer, I think that is significant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are annoyed at Barclay, then write Barclay.

Trust me; he'll getting a special email from me, too.

Remember, Barclay is the Board member who abused his MCPS credit card

http://wjla.com/news/education/elected-official-uses-school-district-credit-card-for-personal-purchases-103374

Time for this loser to be voted off the Board!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't forget to complain about the other changes- November went from having a four day weekend to having a Wednesday off one week and a Tuesday off the next.

Yes, but the November switch is due to the change in the start date. The new marking period ends 2 days earlier. The 2016-17 calendar was originally written (I believe) as that Friday as a holiday,then school on Monday, election day holiday on Tuesday. I was very pleased to see that MCPS adjusted the teacher workday to account for that poor continuity.

In the calendar proposed in November they had fixed that problem to have the 7th and 8th off. In the new proposal it's Wednesday of the first week and Tuesday of the second.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So for at least 15 years MCPS has started one week before Labor Day. Now they want to start almost two weeks before and they are only giving three days notice that the BOE will be voting on this Tuesday. This is a significant change with no opportunity for public input.

Starting school a few days earlier is "a significant change"?

It works out to essentially mean a week less of summer, I think that is significant.

Agreed. And camp and sports are already scheduled based on the previous proposal.