2026-2027 calendar updates

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I know so many people (including us) that have travel plans the 3rd week of August. What is the point of putting out a calendar if we can't rely on it?!? Fortunately we don't have flights booked yet, but I know 7 families who are supposed to be out of the country! And since I have to get my work time off approved in advance that's the week I got, and it's unlikely I'll be able to switch, so I guess we're just not going on vacation this summer if they do this.

It would clearly be less disruptive at this point to take back some holidays (including Easter Monday), and even though every person I've spoken too is in favor of that approach versus moving the start date this year, I doubt the Board will have the guts to do it.

Any calendar change is disruptive. People just disagree on what is more disruptive.

I can't imagine anyone could argue with a straight face that starting the year several days earlier with less than 4 months notice is less disruptive than saying "for spring break, 11 months in the future, we will switch a couple of those days to possible makeup days if there's a lot of snow days.".

People would also complain if you shortened spring break. As others have pointed out, the makeup days are disproportionately allocated in the fall and early winter before we have any snow. MCPS isn't suddenly adding makeup days in the spring that you can use.

To me, starting earlier in August is the least disruptive. Obviously, people have a diversity of opinions on this topic.

How is it the least disruptive? It is only a few months away, when most people have already made plans of some type for that week, and it is also a huge deal for kids to miss the first few days of school (both for them themselves, and for the class as a whole.) It is also extremely hard on teachers who get no break after summer school and may already have committed to jobs during that week that will now be preservice week, and school staff who have barely any time to get the building ready after summer school.

Other options are much longer in the future, when many fewer people have plans. And if they do have plans, missing those days is much less consequential and disruptive than missing the first week of school for kids, or missing preservice for teachers.

This isn't even close. It's a slam dunk. The only way anyone could think starting early is less disruptive is if it's easier for you personally and you're unable to see past the end of your nose.

You seem to have mistaken your opinion on what is disruptive for yourself as representative of the entire MCPS community. Some people are happy to have their kids go back to school earlier in August. Not every MCPS family is flying back from Europe or Asia that week.

Sorry that your vacation plans may be messed up, but you're pretty narrow-minded if you can't see that others have different situations than you.

Some people prefer starting earlier. Others do not.

That does not change the fact that the early start is incredibly disruptive for a significant number of staff, students, and families in a way that none of the other changes would be.

It's not about who prefers what. It's about what is a doable change and what is an incredibly problematic change.

An "incredibly problematic change" is your opinion-not a fact. You have 4 months to adjust to the new calendar. That's a lot more notice than parents get when MCPS decides to keep schools closed 1 week after a snowstorm ends.

Typically parents aren't going to have nonrefundable travel, PTO, camps, etc. due to a weather emergency. This is an unnecessary expense and burden for MoCo at large.

Typical MCPS parents aren't going to have expensive travel plans and camps late in August. You're talking about a niche of well-off families. Many are going to be happy to have their kids back in school earlier so they can go to work (I know I am.)

Actually MOST MCPS parents have expensive travel plans, camp plans, etc. It doesn't make someone rich by going to the shore. It also doesn't magically make non-refundable, refundable. Good for you for not properly planning your summer- the rest of us actually did. No, I don't need to worry about my kid starting earlier because I based my summer on the calendar approved in December. You sound like you're always just planning to wing it.

You have no idea what plans MCPS parents have. You're just making things up because you're angry about the schedule changes. Some of us have a more flexible attitude to MCPS schedules--we have to, because MCPS schedules change all the time.

MCPS sometimes has unplanned closures, and sometimes the clearly labeled makeup days on the calendar are used as makeup days. I can't remember there ever being any other time when days off not labeled as days off have been turned into school days. It turns MCPS from a generally predictable district into a place with schedules that no one can trust anymore. I don't blame teachers one bit for quitting after this, it's ridiculous.

If teachers quit over starting work a few days earlier, having gotten unexpected extra vacation days the year before, they had issues with being at MCPS that go well beyond bad scheduling practices.

Serious thought exercise for you...

You really only get 1-2 weeks off a year because you work two different jobs. You've been planning to spend that week off with your family all year, saving what little money you make (because you aren't in a high paying profession but love it anyway) to go on a trip that you've put non-refundable deposits down on. Then, not 4 months before the trip is supposed to happen your employer goes "oh nevermind, we need you to come back to work a week earlier than planned, you can't take that trip anymore." How would you feel? Do you feel respected by your workplace in that case?

The DC area has the highest unemployment rate in the country thanks to Trump/DOGE/a crap economy. Excuse me while I don't use up all my sympathy on MCPS staff who are getting 4 months notice about a schedule change who may have to lose a deposit on an expensive vacation.

I see, so you need to take out the fact that your life isn't going well on the teachers and make everyone miserable around you. Got it. That's so nice of you...

And you missed that day in kindergarten where they should have taught you that you're not the sun and that the world doesn't revolve around you and your needs.

LOL I'm not even a teacher. I just have empathy for the people who teach my kids every day and the fact that this situation doesn't need to exist at all.

Too bad you don't have empathy for others in the DMV area who are suffering economic challenges far worse than a schedule change and who might actually benefit from having their kids back to school a few days earlier in August and from getting the 180 days of instructional time they need since MCPS student achievement levels are in the toilet.

But my non-refundable vacation deposit...waaaah waaaah waaaah!!

Again... the schedule change in no way guarantees we'll get 180 days of instruction. In fact, its just the opposite -- it helps MCPS get its waiver next year.

And apparently the world revolves around you and your need for childcare. Okay, got it.

God forbid people need childcare for their kids. Clearly that need pales in the face of your non-refundable vacation deposit.

How does starting the school year earlier help people who need childcare? People who need childcare that week have generally already booked camp for that last week (probably non-refundable since most of them that week are), so they will have to pay for the week despite only using 2-3 days of it. Even if they didn't, it's still the same number of days of school so they still have to pay for the same amount of camp, they just have to pay for an extra week next summer instead of this summer.

Clearly the PP is one of the people who has been affected by federal/DOGE layoffs and for that you have my full empathy. I was also laid off but have managed to find a new position. She’s probably stressed about the cost of camp and hadn’t signed her kid up because she doesn’t yet have a job and the news of an early start brought some news of financial relief. I feel you PP I do. But your situation is one of many. You are getting a windfall out of the pain of so many others who are cancelling trips and camps, losing money, and all around scrambling by the MCPS-made chaos. PP, I truly hope your situation improves soon.

But, that doesn’t change the fact that changing the calendar this close to the start of the year is not a good idea.

[Anonymous]

BoardDocs seems to be working again. This was the presentation from a few weeks back where they frame out the days off due to holidays (discussion from several pages back): https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/DT7SZF751736/$file/Proposed%20Amendments%202026-2027%20SY%20Calendar%20PPT%20260416.pdf

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I know so many people (including us) that have travel plans the 3rd week of August. What is the point of putting out a calendar if we can't rely on it?!? Fortunately we don't have flights booked yet, but I know 7 families who are supposed to be out of the country! And since I have to get my work time off approved in advance that's the week I got, and it's unlikely I'll be able to switch, so I guess we're just not going on vacation this summer if they do this.

It would clearly be less disruptive at this point to take back some holidays (including Easter Monday), and even though every person I've spoken too is in favor of that approach versus moving the start date this year, I doubt the Board will have the guts to do it.

Any calendar change is disruptive. People just disagree on what is more disruptive.

I can't imagine anyone could argue with a straight face that starting the year several days earlier with less than 4 months notice is less disruptive than saying "for spring break, 11 months in the future, we will switch a couple of those days to possible makeup days if there's a lot of snow days.".

People would also complain if you shortened spring break. As others have pointed out, the makeup days are disproportionately allocated in the fall and early winter before we have any snow. MCPS isn't suddenly adding makeup days in the spring that you can use.

To me, starting earlier in August is the least disruptive. Obviously, people have a diversity of opinions on this topic.

How is it the least disruptive? It is only a few months away, when most people have already made plans of some type for that week, and it is also a huge deal for kids to miss the first few days of school (both for them themselves, and for the class as a whole.) It is also extremely hard on teachers who get no break after summer school and may already have committed to jobs during that week that will now be preservice week, and school staff who have barely any time to get the building ready after summer school.

Other options are much longer in the future, when many fewer people have plans. And if they do have plans, missing those days is much less consequential and disruptive than missing the first week of school for kids, or missing preservice for teachers.

This isn't even close. It's a slam dunk. The only way anyone could think starting early is less disruptive is if it's easier for you personally and you're unable to see past the end of your nose.

You seem to have mistaken your opinion on what is disruptive for yourself as representative of the entire MCPS community. Some people are happy to have their kids go back to school earlier in August. Not every MCPS family is flying back from Europe or Asia that week.

Sorry that your vacation plans may be messed up, but you're pretty narrow-minded if you can't see that others have different situations than you.

Some people prefer starting earlier. Others do not.

That does not change the fact that the early start is incredibly disruptive for a significant number of staff, students, and families in a way that none of the other changes would be.

It's not about who prefers what. It's about what is a doable change and what is an incredibly problematic change.

An "incredibly problematic change" is your opinion-not a fact. You have 4 months to adjust to the new calendar. That's a lot more notice than parents get when MCPS decides to keep schools closed 1 week after a snowstorm ends.

Typically parents aren't going to have nonrefundable travel, PTO, camps, etc. due to a weather emergency. This is an unnecessary expense and burden for MoCo at large.

Typical MCPS parents aren't going to have expensive travel plans and camps late in August. You're talking about a niche of well-off families. Many are going to be happy to have their kids back in school earlier so they can go to work (I know I am.)

Actually MOST MCPS parents have expensive travel plans, camp plans, etc. It doesn't make someone rich by going to the shore. It also doesn't magically make non-refundable, refundable. Good for you for not properly planning your summer- the rest of us actually did. No, I don't need to worry about my kid starting earlier because I based my summer on the calendar approved in December. You sound like you're always just planning to wing it.

You have no idea what plans MCPS parents have. You're just making things up because you're angry about the schedule changes. Some of us have a more flexible attitude to MCPS schedules--we have to, because MCPS schedules change all the time.

MCPS sometimes has unplanned closures, and sometimes the clearly labeled makeup days on the calendar are used as makeup days. I can't remember there ever being any other time when days off not labeled as days off have been turned into school days. It turns MCPS from a generally predictable district into a place with schedules that no one can trust anymore. I don't blame teachers one bit for quitting after this, it's ridiculous.

If teachers quit over starting work a few days earlier, having gotten unexpected extra vacation days the year before, they had issues with being at MCPS that go well beyond bad scheduling practices.

Serious thought exercise for you...

You really only get 1-2 weeks off a year because you work two different jobs. You've been planning to spend that week off with your family all year, saving what little money you make (because you aren't in a high paying profession but love it anyway) to go on a trip that you've put non-refundable deposits down on. Then, not 4 months before the trip is supposed to happen your employer goes "oh nevermind, we need you to come back to work a week earlier than planned, you can't take that trip anymore." How would you feel? Do you feel respected by your workplace in that case?

The DC area has the highest unemployment rate in the country thanks to Trump/DOGE/a crap economy. Excuse me while I don't use up all my sympathy on MCPS staff who are getting 4 months notice about a schedule change who may have to lose a deposit on an expensive vacation.

I’m truly sorry that DOGE took your job. That is a whole different conversation. But you do seem to have a passion for education. Have you heard about Maryland’s plan to put laid off Feds in Education positions? Here’s more info:

https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Documents/2025/0429/Federal-Workforce-Update-Feds-to-Eds-A.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish there was an acknowledgment that the first 3 days of school are among the worst to miss for May kids. I’m one of the people with non refundable tickets for a dream vacation we have been saving for and planning for years. I also have a kid with a 504 starting middle school. I am not going to make my kid miss the first 3 days of middle school. I’m just not. We will get back any money we can and eat the rest.

Any other time of the year we would still take that vacation and it would be annoying but manageable to make up 3 days. Changing Dec 23 or some of spring break (a time we often see family) would make that an option. I can’t believe we are even discussing the beginning of the school year.

And don't forget, your kid being new to middle school also has transition day (that doesn't count as a real day of school, of course)!

And sorry, PP... that really sucks.

Thank you! Tbh I don’t really care about the transition day for my kid but I would not advocate for changing it at this point either because some people are planning to start school on the day after transition day and no one should have to plan to change their flights or what ever or miss the first day of school. I doubt that is all that many people but I just think it’s too late to change the first day of school.

For 2027/2028 we can start whenever. I just need an actual finalized calendar ideally at least a year out (ha).

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I know so many people (including us) that have travel plans the 3rd week of August. What is the point of putting out a calendar if we can't rely on it?!? Fortunately we don't have flights booked yet, but I know 7 families who are supposed to be out of the country! And since I have to get my work time off approved in advance that's the week I got, and it's unlikely I'll be able to switch, so I guess we're just not going on vacation this summer if they do this.

It would clearly be less disruptive at this point to take back some holidays (including Easter Monday), and even though every person I've spoken too is in favor of that approach versus moving the start date this year, I doubt the Board will have the guts to do it.

Any calendar change is disruptive. People just disagree on what is more disruptive.

I can't imagine anyone could argue with a straight face that starting the year several days earlier with less than 4 months notice is less disruptive than saying "for spring break, 11 months in the future, we will switch a couple of those days to possible makeup days if there's a lot of snow days.".

People would also complain if you shortened spring break. As others have pointed out, the makeup days are disproportionately allocated in the fall and early winter before we have any snow. MCPS isn't suddenly adding makeup days in the spring that you can use.

To me, starting earlier in August is the least disruptive. Obviously, people have a diversity of opinions on this topic.

How is it the least disruptive? It is only a few months away, when most people have already made plans of some type for that week, and it is also a huge deal for kids to miss the first few days of school (both for them themselves, and for the class as a whole.) It is also extremely hard on teachers who get no break after summer school and may already have committed to jobs during that week that will now be preservice week, and school staff who have barely any time to get the building ready after summer school.

Other options are much longer in the future, when many fewer people have plans. And if they do have plans, missing those days is much less consequential and disruptive than missing the first week of school for kids, or missing preservice for teachers.

This isn't even close. It's a slam dunk. The only way anyone could think starting early is less disruptive is if it's easier for you personally and you're unable to see past the end of your nose.

You seem to have mistaken your opinion on what is disruptive for yourself as representative of the entire MCPS community. Some people are happy to have their kids go back to school earlier in August. Not every MCPS family is flying back from Europe or Asia that week.

Sorry that your vacation plans may be messed up, but you're pretty narrow-minded if you can't see that others have different situations than you.

Some people prefer starting earlier. Others do not.

That does not change the fact that the early start is incredibly disruptive for a significant number of staff, students, and families in a way that none of the other changes would be.

It's not about who prefers what. It's about what is a doable change and what is an incredibly problematic change.

An "incredibly problematic change" is your opinion-not a fact. You have 4 months to adjust to the new calendar. That's a lot more notice than parents get when MCPS decides to keep schools closed 1 week after a snowstorm ends.

Typically parents aren't going to have nonrefundable travel, PTO, camps, etc. due to a weather emergency. This is an unnecessary expense and burden for MoCo at large.

Typical MCPS parents aren't going to have expensive travel plans and camps late in August. You're talking about a niche of well-off families. Many are going to be happy to have their kids back in school earlier so they can go to work (I know I am.)

Actually MOST MCPS parents have expensive travel plans, camp plans, etc. It doesn't make someone rich by going to the shore. It also doesn't magically make non-refundable, refundable. Good for you for not properly planning your summer- the rest of us actually did. No, I don't need to worry about my kid starting earlier because I based my summer on the calendar approved in December. You sound like you're always just planning to wing it.

You have no idea what plans MCPS parents have. You're just making things up because you're angry about the schedule changes. Some of us have a more flexible attitude to MCPS schedules--we have to, because MCPS schedules change all the time.

MCPS sometimes has unplanned closures, and sometimes the clearly labeled makeup days on the calendar are used as makeup days. I can't remember there ever being any other time when days off not labeled as days off have been turned into school days. It turns MCPS from a generally predictable district into a place with schedules that no one can trust anymore. I don't blame teachers one bit for quitting after this, it's ridiculous.

If teachers quit over starting work a few days earlier, having gotten unexpected extra vacation days the year before, they had issues with being at MCPS that go well beyond bad scheduling practices.

Serious thought exercise for you...

You really only get 1-2 weeks off a year because you work two different jobs. You've been planning to spend that week off with your family all year, saving what little money you make (because you aren't in a high paying profession but love it anyway) to go on a trip that you've put non-refundable deposits down on. Then, not 4 months before the trip is supposed to happen your employer goes "oh nevermind, we need you to come back to work a week earlier than planned, you can't take that trip anymore." How would you feel? Do you feel respected by your workplace in that case?

The DC area has the highest unemployment rate in the country thanks to Trump/DOGE/a crap economy. Excuse me while I don't use up all my sympathy on MCPS staff who are getting 4 months notice about a schedule change who may have to lose a deposit on an expensive vacation.

I see, so you need to take out the fact that your life isn't going well on the teachers and make everyone miserable around you. Got it. That's so nice of you...

And you missed that day in kindergarten where they should have taught you that you're not the sun and that the world doesn't revolve around you and your needs.

LOL I'm not even a teacher. I just have empathy for the people who teach my kids every day and the fact that this situation doesn't need to exist at all.

Too bad you don't have empathy for others in the DMV area who are suffering economic challenges far worse than a schedule change and who might actually benefit from having their kids back to school a few days earlier in August and from getting the 180 days of instructional time they need since MCPS student achievement levels are in the toilet.

But my non-refundable vacation deposit...waaaah waaaah waaaah!!

Again... the schedule change in no way guarantees we'll get 180 days of instruction. In fact, its just the opposite -- it helps MCPS get its waiver next year.

And apparently the world revolves around you and your need for childcare. Okay, got it.

God forbid people need childcare for their kids. Clearly that need pales in the face of your non-refundable vacation deposit.

How does starting the school year earlier help people who need childcare? People who need childcare that week have generally already booked camp for that last week (probably non-refundable since most of them that week are), so they will have to pay for the week despite only using 2-3 days of it. Even if they didn't, it's still the same number of days of school so they still have to pay for the same amount of camp, they just have to pay for an extra week next summer instead of this summer.

Clearly the PP is one of the people who has been affected by federal/DOGE layoffs and for that you have my full empathy. I was also laid off but have managed to find a new position. She’s probably stressed about the cost of camp and hadn’t signed her kid up because she doesn’t yet have a job and the news of an early start brought some news of financial relief. I feel you PP I do. But your situation is one of many. You are getting a windfall out of the pain of so many others who are cancelling trips and camps, losing money, and all around scrambling by the MCPS-made chaos. PP, I truly hope your situation improves soon.

But, that doesn’t change the fact that changing the calendar this close to the start of the year is not a good idea.

Changing the calendar four months from the start of the school year may adversely affect your vacation plans, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good idea for many others.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I know so many people (including us) that have travel plans the 3rd week of August. What is the point of putting out a calendar if we can't rely on it?!? Fortunately we don't have flights booked yet, but I know 7 families who are supposed to be out of the country! And since I have to get my work time off approved in advance that's the week I got, and it's unlikely I'll be able to switch, so I guess we're just not going on vacation this summer if they do this.

It would clearly be less disruptive at this point to take back some holidays (including Easter Monday), and even though every person I've spoken too is in favor of that approach versus moving the start date this year, I doubt the Board will have the guts to do it.

Any calendar change is disruptive. People just disagree on what is more disruptive.

I can't imagine anyone could argue with a straight face that starting the year several days earlier with less than 4 months notice is less disruptive than saying "for spring break, 11 months in the future, we will switch a couple of those days to possible makeup days if there's a lot of snow days.".

People would also complain if you shortened spring break. As others have pointed out, the makeup days are disproportionately allocated in the fall and early winter before we have any snow. MCPS isn't suddenly adding makeup days in the spring that you can use.

To me, starting earlier in August is the least disruptive. Obviously, people have a diversity of opinions on this topic.

How is it the least disruptive? It is only a few months away, when most people have already made plans of some type for that week, and it is also a huge deal for kids to miss the first few days of school (both for them themselves, and for the class as a whole.) It is also extremely hard on teachers who get no break after summer school and may already have committed to jobs during that week that will now be preservice week, and school staff who have barely any time to get the building ready after summer school.

Other options are much longer in the future, when many fewer people have plans. And if they do have plans, missing those days is much less consequential and disruptive than missing the first week of school for kids, or missing preservice for teachers.

This isn't even close. It's a slam dunk. The only way anyone could think starting early is less disruptive is if it's easier for you personally and you're unable to see past the end of your nose.

You seem to have mistaken your opinion on what is disruptive for yourself as representative of the entire MCPS community. Some people are happy to have their kids go back to school earlier in August. Not every MCPS family is flying back from Europe or Asia that week.

Sorry that your vacation plans may be messed up, but you're pretty narrow-minded if you can't see that others have different situations than you.

Some people prefer starting earlier. Others do not.

That does not change the fact that the early start is incredibly disruptive for a significant number of staff, students, and families in a way that none of the other changes would be.

It's not about who prefers what. It's about what is a doable change and what is an incredibly problematic change.

An "incredibly problematic change" is your opinion-not a fact. You have 4 months to adjust to the new calendar. That's a lot more notice than parents get when MCPS decides to keep schools closed 1 week after a snowstorm ends.

Typically parents aren't going to have nonrefundable travel, PTO, camps, etc. due to a weather emergency. This is an unnecessary expense and burden for MoCo at large.

Typical MCPS parents aren't going to have expensive travel plans and camps late in August. You're talking about a niche of well-off families. Many are going to be happy to have their kids back in school earlier so they can go to work (I know I am.)

Actually MOST MCPS parents have expensive travel plans, camp plans, etc. It doesn't make someone rich by going to the shore. It also doesn't magically make non-refundable, refundable. Good for you for not properly planning your summer- the rest of us actually did. No, I don't need to worry about my kid starting earlier because I based my summer on the calendar approved in December. You sound like you're always just planning to wing it.

You have no idea what plans MCPS parents have. You're just making things up because you're angry about the schedule changes. Some of us have a more flexible attitude to MCPS schedules--we have to, because MCPS schedules change all the time.

MCPS sometimes has unplanned closures, and sometimes the clearly labeled makeup days on the calendar are used as makeup days. I can't remember there ever being any other time when days off not labeled as days off have been turned into school days. It turns MCPS from a generally predictable district into a place with schedules that no one can trust anymore. I don't blame teachers one bit for quitting after this, it's ridiculous.

If teachers quit over starting work a few days earlier, having gotten unexpected extra vacation days the year before, they had issues with being at MCPS that go well beyond bad scheduling practices.

Serious thought exercise for you...

You really only get 1-2 weeks off a year because you work two different jobs. You've been planning to spend that week off with your family all year, saving what little money you make (because you aren't in a high paying profession but love it anyway) to go on a trip that you've put non-refundable deposits down on. Then, not 4 months before the trip is supposed to happen your employer goes "oh nevermind, we need you to come back to work a week earlier than planned, you can't take that trip anymore." How would you feel? Do you feel respected by your workplace in that case?

The DC area has the highest unemployment rate in the country thanks to Trump/DOGE/a crap economy. Excuse me while I don't use up all my sympathy on MCPS staff who are getting 4 months notice about a schedule change who may have to lose a deposit on an expensive vacation.

I see, so you need to take out the fact that your life isn't going well on the teachers and make everyone miserable around you. Got it. That's so nice of you...

And you missed that day in kindergarten where they should have taught you that you're not the sun and that the world doesn't revolve around you and your needs.

LOL I'm not even a teacher. I just have empathy for the people who teach my kids every day and the fact that this situation doesn't need to exist at all.

Too bad you don't have empathy for others in the DMV area who are suffering economic challenges far worse than a schedule change and who might actually benefit from having their kids back to school a few days earlier in August and from getting the 180 days of instructional time they need since MCPS student achievement levels are in the toilet.

But my non-refundable vacation deposit...waaaah waaaah waaaah!!

Again... the schedule change in no way guarantees we'll get 180 days of instruction. In fact, its just the opposite -- it helps MCPS get its waiver next year.

And apparently the world revolves around you and your need for childcare. Okay, got it.

God forbid people need childcare for their kids. Clearly that need pales in the face of your non-refundable vacation deposit.

How does starting the school year earlier help people who need childcare? People who need childcare that week have generally already booked camp for that last week (probably non-refundable since most of them that week are), so they will have to pay for the week despite only using 2-3 days of it. Even if they didn't, it's still the same number of days of school so they still have to pay for the same amount of camp, they just have to pay for an extra week next summer instead of this summer.

Clearly the PP is one of the people who has been affected by federal/DOGE layoffs and for that you have my full empathy. I was also laid off but have managed to find a new position. She’s probably stressed about the cost of camp and hadn’t signed her kid up because she doesn’t yet have a job and the news of an early start brought some news of financial relief. I feel you PP I do. But your situation is one of many. You are getting a windfall out of the pain of so many others who are cancelling trips and camps, losing money, and all around scrambling by the MCPS-made chaos. PP, I truly hope your situation improves soon.

But, that doesn’t change the fact that changing the calendar this close to the start of the year is not a good idea.

Changing the calendar four months from the start of the school year may adversely affect your vacation plans, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good idea for many others.

Please, PP, since you’re so convinced it’s a good idea, please enlighten me. Why is starting (and ending) earlier a good idea? Oh, and I’ll give you bonus points if you keep “AP tests” out of your response.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I know so many people (including us) that have travel plans the 3rd week of August. What is the point of putting out a calendar if we can't rely on it?!? Fortunately we don't have flights booked yet, but I know 7 families who are supposed to be out of the country! And since I have to get my work time off approved in advance that's the week I got, and it's unlikely I'll be able to switch, so I guess we're just not going on vacation this summer if they do this.

It would clearly be less disruptive at this point to take back some holidays (including Easter Monday), and even though every person I've spoken too is in favor of that approach versus moving the start date this year, I doubt the Board will have the guts to do it.

Any calendar change is disruptive. People just disagree on what is more disruptive.

I can't imagine anyone could argue with a straight face that starting the year several days earlier with less than 4 months notice is less disruptive than saying "for spring break, 11 months in the future, we will switch a couple of those days to possible makeup days if there's a lot of snow days.".

People would also complain if you shortened spring break. As others have pointed out, the makeup days are disproportionately allocated in the fall and early winter before we have any snow. MCPS isn't suddenly adding makeup days in the spring that you can use.

To me, starting earlier in August is the least disruptive. Obviously, people have a diversity of opinions on this topic.

How is it the least disruptive? It is only a few months away, when most people have already made plans of some type for that week, and it is also a huge deal for kids to miss the first few days of school (both for them themselves, and for the class as a whole.) It is also extremely hard on teachers who get no break after summer school and may already have committed to jobs during that week that will now be preservice week, and school staff who have barely any time to get the building ready after summer school.

Other options are much longer in the future, when many fewer people have plans. And if they do have plans, missing those days is much less consequential and disruptive than missing the first week of school for kids, or missing preservice for teachers.

This isn't even close. It's a slam dunk. The only way anyone could think starting early is less disruptive is if it's easier for you personally and you're unable to see past the end of your nose.

You seem to have mistaken your opinion on what is disruptive for yourself as representative of the entire MCPS community. Some people are happy to have their kids go back to school earlier in August. Not every MCPS family is flying back from Europe or Asia that week.

Sorry that your vacation plans may be messed up, but you're pretty narrow-minded if you can't see that others have different situations than you.

Some people prefer starting earlier. Others do not.

That does not change the fact that the early start is incredibly disruptive for a significant number of staff, students, and families in a way that none of the other changes would be.

It's not about who prefers what. It's about what is a doable change and what is an incredibly problematic change.

An "incredibly problematic change" is your opinion-not a fact. You have 4 months to adjust to the new calendar. That's a lot more notice than parents get when MCPS decides to keep schools closed 1 week after a snowstorm ends.

Typically parents aren't going to have nonrefundable travel, PTO, camps, etc. due to a weather emergency. This is an unnecessary expense and burden for MoCo at large.

Typical MCPS parents aren't going to have expensive travel plans and camps late in August. You're talking about a niche of well-off families. Many are going to be happy to have their kids back in school earlier so they can go to work (I know I am.)

Actually MOST MCPS parents have expensive travel plans, camp plans, etc. It doesn't make someone rich by going to the shore. It also doesn't magically make non-refundable, refundable. Good for you for not properly planning your summer- the rest of us actually did. No, I don't need to worry about my kid starting earlier because I based my summer on the calendar approved in December. You sound like you're always just planning to wing it.

You have no idea what plans MCPS parents have. You're just making things up because you're angry about the schedule changes. Some of us have a more flexible attitude to MCPS schedules--we have to, because MCPS schedules change all the time.

MCPS sometimes has unplanned closures, and sometimes the clearly labeled makeup days on the calendar are used as makeup days. I can't remember there ever being any other time when days off not labeled as days off have been turned into school days. It turns MCPS from a generally predictable district into a place with schedules that no one can trust anymore. I don't blame teachers one bit for quitting after this, it's ridiculous.

If teachers quit over starting work a few days earlier, having gotten unexpected extra vacation days the year before, they had issues with being at MCPS that go well beyond bad scheduling practices.

Serious thought exercise for you...

You really only get 1-2 weeks off a year because you work two different jobs. You've been planning to spend that week off with your family all year, saving what little money you make (because you aren't in a high paying profession but love it anyway) to go on a trip that you've put non-refundable deposits down on. Then, not 4 months before the trip is supposed to happen your employer goes "oh nevermind, we need you to come back to work a week earlier than planned, you can't take that trip anymore." How would you feel? Do you feel respected by your workplace in that case?

The DC area has the highest unemployment rate in the country thanks to Trump/DOGE/a crap economy. Excuse me while I don't use up all my sympathy on MCPS staff who are getting 4 months notice about a schedule change who may have to lose a deposit on an expensive vacation.

I see, so you need to take out the fact that your life isn't going well on the teachers and make everyone miserable around you. Got it. That's so nice of you...

And you missed that day in kindergarten where they should have taught you that you're not the sun and that the world doesn't revolve around you and your needs.

LOL I'm not even a teacher. I just have empathy for the people who teach my kids every day and the fact that this situation doesn't need to exist at all.

Too bad you don't have empathy for others in the DMV area who are suffering economic challenges far worse than a schedule change and who might actually benefit from having their kids back to school a few days earlier in August and from getting the 180 days of instructional time they need since MCPS student achievement levels are in the toilet.

But my non-refundable vacation deposit...waaaah waaaah waaaah!!

Again... the schedule change in no way guarantees we'll get 180 days of instruction. In fact, its just the opposite -- it helps MCPS get its waiver next year.

And apparently the world revolves around you and your need for childcare. Okay, got it.

God forbid people need childcare for their kids. Clearly that need pales in the face of your non-refundable vacation deposit.

How does starting the school year earlier help people who need childcare? People who need childcare that week have generally already booked camp for that last week (probably non-refundable since most of them that week are), so they will have to pay for the week despite only using 2-3 days of it. Even if they didn't, it's still the same number of days of school so they still have to pay for the same amount of camp, they just have to pay for an extra week next summer instead of this summer.

Clearly the PP is one of the people who has been affected by federal/DOGE layoffs and for that you have my full empathy. I was also laid off but have managed to find a new position. She’s probably stressed about the cost of camp and hadn’t signed her kid up because she doesn’t yet have a job and the news of an early start brought some news of financial relief. I feel you PP I do. But your situation is one of many. You are getting a windfall out of the pain of so many others who are cancelling trips and camps, losing money, and all around scrambling by the MCPS-made chaos. PP, I truly hope your situation improves soon.

But, that doesn’t change the fact that changing the calendar this close to the start of the year is not a good idea.

Changing the calendar four months from the start of the school year may adversely affect your vacation plans, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good idea for many others.

+1 There are differing opinions on practically every schedule change. Many people I know are happy about this change. I suspect survey data will show this as well.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I know so many people (including us) that have travel plans the 3rd week of August. What is the point of putting out a calendar if we can't rely on it?!? Fortunately we don't have flights booked yet, but I know 7 families who are supposed to be out of the country! And since I have to get my work time off approved in advance that's the week I got, and it's unlikely I'll be able to switch, so I guess we're just not going on vacation this summer if they do this.

It would clearly be less disruptive at this point to take back some holidays (including Easter Monday), and even though every person I've spoken too is in favor of that approach versus moving the start date this year, I doubt the Board will have the guts to do it.

Any calendar change is disruptive. People just disagree on what is more disruptive.

I can't imagine anyone could argue with a straight face that starting the year several days earlier with less than 4 months notice is less disruptive than saying "for spring break, 11 months in the future, we will switch a couple of those days to possible makeup days if there's a lot of snow days.".

People would also complain if you shortened spring break. As others have pointed out, the makeup days are disproportionately allocated in the fall and early winter before we have any snow. MCPS isn't suddenly adding makeup days in the spring that you can use.

To me, starting earlier in August is the least disruptive. Obviously, people have a diversity of opinions on this topic.

How is it the least disruptive? It is only a few months away, when most people have already made plans of some type for that week, and it is also a huge deal for kids to miss the first few days of school (both for them themselves, and for the class as a whole.) It is also extremely hard on teachers who get no break after summer school and may already have committed to jobs during that week that will now be preservice week, and school staff who have barely any time to get the building ready after summer school.

Other options are much longer in the future, when many fewer people have plans. And if they do have plans, missing those days is much less consequential and disruptive than missing the first week of school for kids, or missing preservice for teachers.

This isn't even close. It's a slam dunk. The only way anyone could think starting early is less disruptive is if it's easier for you personally and you're unable to see past the end of your nose.

You seem to have mistaken your opinion on what is disruptive for yourself as representative of the entire MCPS community. Some people are happy to have their kids go back to school earlier in August. Not every MCPS family is flying back from Europe or Asia that week.

Sorry that your vacation plans may be messed up, but you're pretty narrow-minded if you can't see that others have different situations than you.

Some people prefer starting earlier. Others do not.

That does not change the fact that the early start is incredibly disruptive for a significant number of staff, students, and families in a way that none of the other changes would be.

It's not about who prefers what. It's about what is a doable change and what is an incredibly problematic change.

An "incredibly problematic change" is your opinion-not a fact. You have 4 months to adjust to the new calendar. That's a lot more notice than parents get when MCPS decides to keep schools closed 1 week after a snowstorm ends.

Typically parents aren't going to have nonrefundable travel, PTO, camps, etc. due to a weather emergency. This is an unnecessary expense and burden for MoCo at large.

Typical MCPS parents aren't going to have expensive travel plans and camps late in August. You're talking about a niche of well-off families. Many are going to be happy to have their kids back in school earlier so they can go to work (I know I am.)

Actually MOST MCPS parents have expensive travel plans, camp plans, etc. It doesn't make someone rich by going to the shore. It also doesn't magically make non-refundable, refundable. Good for you for not properly planning your summer- the rest of us actually did. No, I don't need to worry about my kid starting earlier because I based my summer on the calendar approved in December. You sound like you're always just planning to wing it.

You have no idea what plans MCPS parents have. You're just making things up because you're angry about the schedule changes. Some of us have a more flexible attitude to MCPS schedules--we have to, because MCPS schedules change all the time.

MCPS sometimes has unplanned closures, and sometimes the clearly labeled makeup days on the calendar are used as makeup days. I can't remember there ever being any other time when days off not labeled as days off have been turned into school days. It turns MCPS from a generally predictable district into a place with schedules that no one can trust anymore. I don't blame teachers one bit for quitting after this, it's ridiculous.

If teachers quit over starting work a few days earlier, having gotten unexpected extra vacation days the year before, they had issues with being at MCPS that go well beyond bad scheduling practices.

Serious thought exercise for you...

You really only get 1-2 weeks off a year because you work two different jobs. You've been planning to spend that week off with your family all year, saving what little money you make (because you aren't in a high paying profession but love it anyway) to go on a trip that you've put non-refundable deposits down on. Then, not 4 months before the trip is supposed to happen your employer goes "oh nevermind, we need you to come back to work a week earlier than planned, you can't take that trip anymore." How would you feel? Do you feel respected by your workplace in that case?

The DC area has the highest unemployment rate in the country thanks to Trump/DOGE/a crap economy. Excuse me while I don't use up all my sympathy on MCPS staff who are getting 4 months notice about a schedule change who may have to lose a deposit on an expensive vacation.

I see, so you need to take out the fact that your life isn't going well on the teachers and make everyone miserable around you. Got it. That's so nice of you...

And you missed that day in kindergarten where they should have taught you that you're not the sun and that the world doesn't revolve around you and your needs.

LOL I'm not even a teacher. I just have empathy for the people who teach my kids every day and the fact that this situation doesn't need to exist at all.

Too bad you don't have empathy for others in the DMV area who are suffering economic challenges far worse than a schedule change and who might actually benefit from having their kids back to school a few days earlier in August and from getting the 180 days of instructional time they need since MCPS student achievement levels are in the toilet.

But my non-refundable vacation deposit...waaaah waaaah waaaah!!

Again... the schedule change in no way guarantees we'll get 180 days of instruction. In fact, its just the opposite -- it helps MCPS get its waiver next year.

And apparently the world revolves around you and your need for childcare. Okay, got it.

God forbid people need childcare for their kids. Clearly that need pales in the face of your non-refundable vacation deposit.

How does starting the school year earlier help people who need childcare? People who need childcare that week have generally already booked camp for that last week (probably non-refundable since most of them that week are), so they will have to pay for the week despite only using 2-3 days of it. Even if they didn't, it's still the same number of days of school so they still have to pay for the same amount of camp, they just have to pay for an extra week next summer instead of this summer.

Clearly the PP is one of the people who has been affected by federal/DOGE layoffs and for that you have my full empathy. I was also laid off but have managed to find a new position. She’s probably stressed about the cost of camp and hadn’t signed her kid up because she doesn’t yet have a job and the news of an early start brought some news of financial relief. I feel you PP I do. But your situation is one of many. You are getting a windfall out of the pain of so many others who are cancelling trips and camps, losing money, and all around scrambling by the MCPS-made chaos. PP, I truly hope your situation improves soon.

But, that doesn’t change the fact that changing the calendar this close to the start of the year is not a good idea.

Changing the calendar four months from the start of the school year may adversely affect your vacation plans, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good idea for many others.

Please, PP, since you’re so convinced it’s a good idea, please enlighten me. Why is starting (and ending) earlier a good idea? Oh, and I’ll give you bonus points if you keep “AP tests” out of your response.

There are 61 pages of posts on this thread and it isn't because everyone thinks the schedule changes are a bad idea. Why don't you learn to read and try to understand a perspective that isn't identical to your own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I know so many people (including us) that have travel plans the 3rd week of August. What is the point of putting out a calendar if we can't rely on it?!? Fortunately we don't have flights booked yet, but I know 7 families who are supposed to be out of the country! And since I have to get my work time off approved in advance that's the week I got, and it's unlikely I'll be able to switch, so I guess we're just not going on vacation this summer if they do this.

It would clearly be less disruptive at this point to take back some holidays (including Easter Monday), and even though every person I've spoken too is in favor of that approach versus moving the start date this year, I doubt the Board will have the guts to do it.

Any calendar change is disruptive. People just disagree on what is more disruptive.

I can't imagine anyone could argue with a straight face that starting the year several days earlier with less than 4 months notice is less disruptive than saying "for spring break, 11 months in the future, we will switch a couple of those days to possible makeup days if there's a lot of snow days.".

People would also complain if you shortened spring break. As others have pointed out, the makeup days are disproportionately allocated in the fall and early winter before we have any snow. MCPS isn't suddenly adding makeup days in the spring that you can use.

To me, starting earlier in August is the least disruptive. Obviously, people have a diversity of opinions on this topic.

How is it the least disruptive? It is only a few months away, when most people have already made plans of some type for that week, and it is also a huge deal for kids to miss the first few days of school (both for them themselves, and for the class as a whole.) It is also extremely hard on teachers who get no break after summer school and may already have committed to jobs during that week that will now be preservice week, and school staff who have barely any time to get the building ready after summer school.

Other options are much longer in the future, when many fewer people have plans. And if they do have plans, missing those days is much less consequential and disruptive than missing the first week of school for kids, or missing preservice for teachers.

This isn't even close. It's a slam dunk. The only way anyone could think starting early is less disruptive is if it's easier for you personally and you're unable to see past the end of your nose.

You seem to have mistaken your opinion on what is disruptive for yourself as representative of the entire MCPS community. Some people are happy to have their kids go back to school earlier in August. Not every MCPS family is flying back from Europe or Asia that week.

Sorry that your vacation plans may be messed up, but you're pretty narrow-minded if you can't see that others have different situations than you.

Some people prefer starting earlier. Others do not.

That does not change the fact that the early start is incredibly disruptive for a significant number of staff, students, and families in a way that none of the other changes would be.

It's not about who prefers what. It's about what is a doable change and what is an incredibly problematic change.

An "incredibly problematic change" is your opinion-not a fact. You have 4 months to adjust to the new calendar. That's a lot more notice than parents get when MCPS decides to keep schools closed 1 week after a snowstorm ends.

Typically parents aren't going to have nonrefundable travel, PTO, camps, etc. due to a weather emergency. This is an unnecessary expense and burden for MoCo at large.

Typical MCPS parents aren't going to have expensive travel plans and camps late in August. You're talking about a niche of well-off families. Many are going to be happy to have their kids back in school earlier so they can go to work (I know I am.)

Actually MOST MCPS parents have expensive travel plans, camp plans, etc. It doesn't make someone rich by going to the shore. It also doesn't magically make non-refundable, refundable. Good for you for not properly planning your summer- the rest of us actually did. No, I don't need to worry about my kid starting earlier because I based my summer on the calendar approved in December. You sound like you're always just planning to wing it.

You have no idea what plans MCPS parents have. You're just making things up because you're angry about the schedule changes. Some of us have a more flexible attitude to MCPS schedules--we have to, because MCPS schedules change all the time.

MCPS sometimes has unplanned closures, and sometimes the clearly labeled makeup days on the calendar are used as makeup days. I can't remember there ever being any other time when days off not labeled as days off have been turned into school days. It turns MCPS from a generally predictable district into a place with schedules that no one can trust anymore. I don't blame teachers one bit for quitting after this, it's ridiculous.

If teachers quit over starting work a few days earlier, having gotten unexpected extra vacation days the year before, they had issues with being at MCPS that go well beyond bad scheduling practices.

Serious thought exercise for you...

You really only get 1-2 weeks off a year because you work two different jobs. You've been planning to spend that week off with your family all year, saving what little money you make (because you aren't in a high paying profession but love it anyway) to go on a trip that you've put non-refundable deposits down on. Then, not 4 months before the trip is supposed to happen your employer goes "oh nevermind, we need you to come back to work a week earlier than planned, you can't take that trip anymore." How would you feel? Do you feel respected by your workplace in that case?

The DC area has the highest unemployment rate in the country thanks to Trump/DOGE/a crap economy. Excuse me while I don't use up all my sympathy on MCPS staff who are getting 4 months notice about a schedule change who may have to lose a deposit on an expensive vacation.

I see, so you need to take out the fact that your life isn't going well on the teachers and make everyone miserable around you. Got it. That's so nice of you...

And you missed that day in kindergarten where they should have taught you that you're not the sun and that the world doesn't revolve around you and your needs.

LOL I'm not even a teacher. I just have empathy for the people who teach my kids every day and the fact that this situation doesn't need to exist at all.

Too bad you don't have empathy for others in the DMV area who are suffering economic challenges far worse than a schedule change and who might actually benefit from having their kids back to school a few days earlier in August and from getting the 180 days of instructional time they need since MCPS student achievement levels are in the toilet.

But my non-refundable vacation deposit...waaaah waaaah waaaah!!

Again... the schedule change in no way guarantees we'll get 180 days of instruction. In fact, its just the opposite -- it helps MCPS get its waiver next year.

And apparently the world revolves around you and your need for childcare. Okay, got it.

God forbid people need childcare for their kids. Clearly that need pales in the face of your non-refundable vacation deposit.

How does starting the school year earlier help people who need childcare? People who need childcare that week have generally already booked camp for that last week (probably non-refundable since most of them that week are), so they will have to pay for the week despite only using 2-3 days of it. Even if they didn't, it's still the same number of days of school so they still have to pay for the same amount of camp, they just have to pay for an extra week next summer instead of this summer.

Clearly the PP is one of the people who has been affected by federal/DOGE layoffs and for that you have my full empathy. I was also laid off but have managed to find a new position. She’s probably stressed about the cost of camp and hadn’t signed her kid up because she doesn’t yet have a job and the news of an early start brought some news of financial relief. I feel you PP I do. But your situation is one of many. You are getting a windfall out of the pain of so many others who are cancelling trips and camps, losing money, and all around scrambling by the MCPS-made chaos. PP, I truly hope your situation improves soon.

But, that doesn’t change the fact that changing the calendar this close to the start of the year is not a good idea.

Changing the calendar four months from the start of the school year may adversely affect your vacation plans, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good idea for many others.

Please, PP, since you’re so convinced it’s a good idea, please enlighten me. Why is starting (and ending) earlier a good idea? Oh, and I’ll give you bonus points if you keep “AP tests” out of your response.

There are 61 pages of posts on this thread and it isn't because everyone thinks the schedule changes are a bad idea. Why don't you learn to read and try to understand a perspective that isn't identical to your own.

+1 Or better yet read the board presentation which explains that if you start earlier in August, there's more time to add days to the calendar before the Juneteenth deadline. Some of us want our kids to actually get the 180 days of education kids in the rest of the country get. Sorry if that interferes with your non-refundable vacation deposits.

[Anonymous]

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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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I know so many people (including us) that have travel plans the 3rd week of August. What is the point of putting out a calendar if we can't rely on it?!? Fortunately we don't have flights booked yet, but I know 7 families who are supposed to be out of the country! And since I have to get my work time off approved in advance that's the week I got, and it's unlikely I'll be able to switch, so I guess we're just not going on vacation this summer if they do this.

It would clearly be less disruptive at this point to take back some holidays (including Easter Monday), and even though every person I've spoken too is in favor of that approach versus moving the start date this year, I doubt the Board will have the guts to do it.

Any calendar change is disruptive. People just disagree on what is more disruptive.

I can't imagine anyone could argue with a straight face that starting the year several days earlier with less than 4 months notice is less disruptive than saying "for spring break, 11 months in the future, we will switch a couple of those days to possible makeup days if there's a lot of snow days.".

People would also complain if you shortened spring break. As others have pointed out, the makeup days are disproportionately allocated in the fall and early winter before we have any snow. MCPS isn't suddenly adding makeup days in the spring that you can use.

To me, starting earlier in August is the least disruptive. Obviously, people have a diversity of opinions on this topic.

How is it the least disruptive? It is only a few months away, when most people have already made plans of some type for that week, and it is also a huge deal for kids to miss the first few days of school (both for them themselves, and for the class as a whole.) It is also extremely hard on teachers who get no break after summer school and may already have committed to jobs during that week that will now be preservice week, and school staff who have barely any time to get the building ready after summer school.

Other options are much longer in the future, when many fewer people have plans. And if they do have plans, missing those days is much less consequential and disruptive than missing the first week of school for kids, or missing preservice for teachers.

This isn't even close. It's a slam dunk. The only way anyone could think starting early is less disruptive is if it's easier for you personally and you're unable to see past the end of your nose.

You seem to have mistaken your opinion on what is disruptive for yourself as representative of the entire MCPS community. Some people are happy to have their kids go back to school earlier in August. Not every MCPS family is flying back from Europe or Asia that week.

Sorry that your vacation plans may be messed up, but you're pretty narrow-minded if you can't see that others have different situations than you.

Some people prefer starting earlier. Others do not.

That does not change the fact that the early start is incredibly disruptive for a significant number of staff, students, and families in a way that none of the other changes would be.

It's not about who prefers what. It's about what is a doable change and what is an incredibly problematic change.

An "incredibly problematic change" is your opinion-not a fact. You have 4 months to adjust to the new calendar. That's a lot more notice than parents get when MCPS decides to keep schools closed 1 week after a snowstorm ends.

Typically parents aren't going to have nonrefundable travel, PTO, camps, etc. due to a weather emergency. This is an unnecessary expense and burden for MoCo at large.

Typical MCPS parents aren't going to have expensive travel plans and camps late in August. You're talking about a niche of well-off families. Many are going to be happy to have their kids back in school earlier so they can go to work (I know I am.)

Actually MOST MCPS parents have expensive travel plans, camp plans, etc. It doesn't make someone rich by going to the shore. It also doesn't magically make non-refundable, refundable. Good for you for not properly planning your summer- the rest of us actually did. No, I don't need to worry about my kid starting earlier because I based my summer on the calendar approved in December. You sound like you're always just planning to wing it.

You have no idea what plans MCPS parents have. You're just making things up because you're angry about the schedule changes. Some of us have a more flexible attitude to MCPS schedules--we have to, because MCPS schedules change all the time.

MCPS sometimes has unplanned closures, and sometimes the clearly labeled makeup days on the calendar are used as makeup days. I can't remember there ever being any other time when days off not labeled as days off have been turned into school days. It turns MCPS from a generally predictable district into a place with schedules that no one can trust anymore. I don't blame teachers one bit for quitting after this, it's ridiculous.

If teachers quit over starting work a few days earlier, having gotten unexpected extra vacation days the year before, they had issues with being at MCPS that go well beyond bad scheduling practices.

Serious thought exercise for you...

You really only get 1-2 weeks off a year because you work two different jobs. You've been planning to spend that week off with your family all year, saving what little money you make (because you aren't in a high paying profession but love it anyway) to go on a trip that you've put non-refundable deposits down on. Then, not 4 months before the trip is supposed to happen your employer goes "oh nevermind, we need you to come back to work a week earlier than planned, you can't take that trip anymore." How would you feel? Do you feel respected by your workplace in that case?

The DC area has the highest unemployment rate in the country thanks to Trump/DOGE/a crap economy. Excuse me while I don't use up all my sympathy on MCPS staff who are getting 4 months notice about a schedule change who may have to lose a deposit on an expensive vacation.

I see, so you need to take out the fact that your life isn't going well on the teachers and make everyone miserable around you. Got it. That's so nice of you...

And you missed that day in kindergarten where they should have taught you that you're not the sun and that the world doesn't revolve around you and your needs.

LOL I'm not even a teacher. I just have empathy for the people who teach my kids every day and the fact that this situation doesn't need to exist at all.

Too bad you don't have empathy for others in the DMV area who are suffering economic challenges far worse than a schedule change and who might actually benefit from having their kids back to school a few days earlier in August and from getting the 180 days of instructional time they need since MCPS student achievement levels are in the toilet.

But my non-refundable vacation deposit...waaaah waaaah waaaah!!

Again... the schedule change in no way guarantees we'll get 180 days of instruction. In fact, its just the opposite -- it helps MCPS get its waiver next year.

And apparently the world revolves around you and your need for childcare. Okay, got it.

God forbid people need childcare for their kids. Clearly that need pales in the face of your non-refundable vacation deposit.

How does starting the school year earlier help people who need childcare? People who need childcare that week have generally already booked camp for that last week (probably non-refundable since most of them that week are), so they will have to pay for the week despite only using 2-3 days of it. Even if they didn't, it's still the same number of days of school so they still have to pay for the same amount of camp, they just have to pay for an extra week next summer instead of this summer.

Clearly the PP is one of the people who has been affected by federal/DOGE layoffs and for that you have my full empathy. I was also laid off but have managed to find a new position. She’s probably stressed about the cost of camp and hadn’t signed her kid up because she doesn’t yet have a job and the news of an early start brought some news of financial relief. I feel you PP I do. But your situation is one of many. You are getting a windfall out of the pain of so many others who are cancelling trips and camps, losing money, and all around scrambling by the MCPS-made chaos. PP, I truly hope your situation improves soon.

But, that doesn’t change the fact that changing the calendar this close to the start of the year is not a good idea.

Changing the calendar four months from the start of the school year may adversely affect your vacation plans, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good idea for many others.

Please, PP, since you’re so convinced it’s a good idea, please enlighten me. Why is starting (and ending) earlier a good idea? Oh, and I’ll give you bonus points if you keep “AP tests” out of your response.

There are 61 pages of posts on this thread and it isn't because everyone thinks the schedule changes are a bad idea. Why don't you learn to read and try to understand a perspective that isn't identical to your own.

+1 Or better yet read the board presentation which explains that if you start earlier in August, there's more time to add days to the calendar before the Juneteenth deadline. Some of us want our kids to actually get the 180 days of education kids in the rest of the country get. Sorry if that interferes with your non-refundable vacation deposits.

Oh I’ve read almost every post on this thread and this is what I’ve seen and my thoughts:

—It’s better for AP tests to start earlier! - I’m not convinced 3 days will make the difference for most AP tests but sure I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt here. But my ask is, are 3 days really worth the headache of changing the schedule this late in the game?

—It helps us ensure 180 days! - it actually doesn’t. They are proposing shifting the beginning and end of school. There are no added days. It would be a different story if they added the days at the front and left the end date alone but that’s not what they’re proposing. Indeed, they continue the same issue MCPS has always had of relying on tacking on days at the end of the year. The only difference is now they’ve shifted the date to make sure that once they use 3 makeup days, they will get a waiver. There is absolutely no guarantee we’ll get 180 days.

—There aren’t many camps then anyway so give parents the childcare. - Okay, but what about the ones that actually did plan camps or planned to take vacation that week because of this very fact?

That’s the extent of the arguments for this change that I’ve seen.

There are options without going earlier of making sure we have 3 more makeup days. MCPS should consider them and really decided if the pros really outweigh the cons which include shortening teachers’ breaks, pissing off families with vacations and non-refundable camps, disrupting high school students’ summer jobs, and disrupting the Ag fair which is a big revenue source for MoCo.

To me there is no way the pros outweigh the cons here especially when there are other options that make sense like using the already designated days, using November 9 and April 22, cutting transition day, etc.

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Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I know so many people (including us) that have travel plans the 3rd week of August. What is the point of putting out a calendar if we can't rely on it?!? Fortunately we don't have flights booked yet, but I know 7 families who are supposed to be out of the country! And since I have to get my work time off approved in advance that's the week I got, and it's unlikely I'll be able to switch, so I guess we're just not going on vacation this summer if they do this.

It would clearly be less disruptive at this point to take back some holidays (including Easter Monday), and even though every person I've spoken too is in favor of that approach versus moving the start date this year, I doubt the Board will have the guts to do it.

Any calendar change is disruptive. People just disagree on what is more disruptive.

I can't imagine anyone could argue with a straight face that starting the year several days earlier with less than 4 months notice is less disruptive than saying "for spring break, 11 months in the future, we will switch a couple of those days to possible makeup days if there's a lot of snow days.".

People would also complain if you shortened spring break. As others have pointed out, the makeup days are disproportionately allocated in the fall and early winter before we have any snow. MCPS isn't suddenly adding makeup days in the spring that you can use.

To me, starting earlier in August is the least disruptive. Obviously, people have a diversity of opinions on this topic.

How is it the least disruptive? It is only a few months away, when most people have already made plans of some type for that week, and it is also a huge deal for kids to miss the first few days of school (both for them themselves, and for the class as a whole.) It is also extremely hard on teachers who get no break after summer school and may already have committed to jobs during that week that will now be preservice week, and school staff who have barely any time to get the building ready after summer school.

Other options are much longer in the future, when many fewer people have plans. And if they do have plans, missing those days is much less consequential and disruptive than missing the first week of school for kids, or missing preservice for teachers.

This isn't even close. It's a slam dunk. The only way anyone could think starting early is less disruptive is if it's easier for you personally and you're unable to see past the end of your nose.

You seem to have mistaken your opinion on what is disruptive for yourself as representative of the entire MCPS community. Some people are happy to have their kids go back to school earlier in August. Not every MCPS family is flying back from Europe or Asia that week.

Sorry that your vacation plans may be messed up, but you're pretty narrow-minded if you can't see that others have different situations than you.

Some people prefer starting earlier. Others do not.

That does not change the fact that the early start is incredibly disruptive for a significant number of staff, students, and families in a way that none of the other changes would be.

It's not about who prefers what. It's about what is a doable change and what is an incredibly problematic change.

An "incredibly problematic change" is your opinion-not a fact. You have 4 months to adjust to the new calendar. That's a lot more notice than parents get when MCPS decides to keep schools closed 1 week after a snowstorm ends.

Typically parents aren't going to have nonrefundable travel, PTO, camps, etc. due to a weather emergency. This is an unnecessary expense and burden for MoCo at large.

Typical MCPS parents aren't going to have expensive travel plans and camps late in August. You're talking about a niche of well-off families. Many are going to be happy to have their kids back in school earlier so they can go to work (I know I am.)

Actually MOST MCPS parents have expensive travel plans, camp plans, etc. It doesn't make someone rich by going to the shore. It also doesn't magically make non-refundable, refundable. Good for you for not properly planning your summer- the rest of us actually did. No, I don't need to worry about my kid starting earlier because I based my summer on the calendar approved in December. You sound like you're always just planning to wing it.

You have no idea what plans MCPS parents have. You're just making things up because you're angry about the schedule changes. Some of us have a more flexible attitude to MCPS schedules--we have to, because MCPS schedules change all the time.

MCPS sometimes has unplanned closures, and sometimes the clearly labeled makeup days on the calendar are used as makeup days. I can't remember there ever being any other time when days off not labeled as days off have been turned into school days. It turns MCPS from a generally predictable district into a place with schedules that no one can trust anymore. I don't blame teachers one bit for quitting after this, it's ridiculous.

If teachers quit over starting work a few days earlier, having gotten unexpected extra vacation days the year before, they had issues with being at MCPS that go well beyond bad scheduling practices.

Serious thought exercise for you...

You really only get 1-2 weeks off a year because you work two different jobs. You've been planning to spend that week off with your family all year, saving what little money you make (because you aren't in a high paying profession but love it anyway) to go on a trip that you've put non-refundable deposits down on. Then, not 4 months before the trip is supposed to happen your employer goes "oh nevermind, we need you to come back to work a week earlier than planned, you can't take that trip anymore." How would you feel? Do you feel respected by your workplace in that case?

The DC area has the highest unemployment rate in the country thanks to Trump/DOGE/a crap economy. Excuse me while I don't use up all my sympathy on MCPS staff who are getting 4 months notice about a schedule change who may have to lose a deposit on an expensive vacation.

I see, so you need to take out the fact that your life isn't going well on the teachers and make everyone miserable around you. Got it. That's so nice of you...

And you missed that day in kindergarten where they should have taught you that you're not the sun and that the world doesn't revolve around you and your needs.

LOL I'm not even a teacher. I just have empathy for the people who teach my kids every day and the fact that this situation doesn't need to exist at all.

Too bad you don't have empathy for others in the DMV area who are suffering economic challenges far worse than a schedule change and who might actually benefit from having their kids back to school a few days earlier in August and from getting the 180 days of instructional time they need since MCPS student achievement levels are in the toilet.

But my non-refundable vacation deposit...waaaah waaaah waaaah!!

Again... the schedule change in no way guarantees we'll get 180 days of instruction. In fact, its just the opposite -- it helps MCPS get its waiver next year.

And apparently the world revolves around you and your need for childcare. Okay, got it.

God forbid people need childcare for their kids. Clearly that need pales in the face of your non-refundable vacation deposit.

How does starting the school year earlier help people who need childcare? People who need childcare that week have generally already booked camp for that last week (probably non-refundable since most of them that week are), so they will have to pay for the week despite only using 2-3 days of it. Even if they didn't, it's still the same number of days of school so they still have to pay for the same amount of camp, they just have to pay for an extra week next summer instead of this summer.

Clearly the PP is one of the people who has been affected by federal/DOGE layoffs and for that you have my full empathy. I was also laid off but have managed to find a new position. She’s probably stressed about the cost of camp and hadn’t signed her kid up because she doesn’t yet have a job and the news of an early start brought some news of financial relief. I feel you PP I do. But your situation is one of many. You are getting a windfall out of the pain of so many others who are cancelling trips and camps, losing money, and all around scrambling by the MCPS-made chaos. PP, I truly hope your situation improves soon.

But, that doesn’t change the fact that changing the calendar this close to the start of the year is not a good idea.

Changing the calendar four months from the start of the school year may adversely affect your vacation plans, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good idea for many others.

Please, PP, since you’re so convinced it’s a good idea, please enlighten me. Why is starting (and ending) earlier a good idea? Oh, and I’ll give you bonus points if you keep “AP tests” out of your response.

There are 61 pages of posts on this thread and it isn't because everyone thinks the schedule changes are a bad idea. Why don't you learn to read and try to understand a perspective that isn't identical to your own.

+1 Or better yet read the board presentation which explains that if you start earlier in August, there's more time to add days to the calendar before the Juneteenth deadline. Some of us want our kids to actually get the 180 days of education kids in the rest of the country get. Sorry if that interferes with your non-refundable vacation deposits.

Oh I’ve read almost every post on this thread and this is what I’ve seen and my thoughts:

—It’s better for AP tests to start earlier! - I’m not convinced 3 days will make the difference for most AP tests but sure I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt here. But my ask is, are 3 days really worth the headache of changing the schedule this late in the game?

—It helps us ensure 180 days! - it actually doesn’t. They are proposing shifting the beginning and end of school. There are no added days. It would be a different story if they added the days at the front and left the end date alone but that’s not what they’re proposing. Indeed, they continue the same issue MCPS has always had of relying on tacking on days at the end of the year. The only difference is now they’ve shifted the date to make sure that once they use 3 makeup days, they will get a waiver. There is absolutely no guarantee we’ll get 180 days.

—There aren’t many camps then anyway so give parents the childcare. - Okay, but what about the ones that actually did plan camps or planned to take vacation that week because of this very fact?

That’s the extent of the arguments for this change that I’ve seen.

There are options without going earlier of making sure we have 3 more makeup days. MCPS should consider them and really decided if the pros really outweigh the cons which include shortening teachers’ breaks, pissing off families with vacations and non-refundable camps, disrupting high school students’ summer jobs, and disrupting the Ag fair which is a big revenue source for MoCo.

To me there is no way the pros outweigh the cons here especially when there are other options that make sense like using the already designated days, using November 9 and April 22, cutting transition day, etc.

I guess you didn't bother to read the actual MCPS Board presentation you've been posting about for 60 straight pages:

-Adds time to address inclement weather ahead of June 18 deadline. This allows for makeup days from June 11, and June 14–17 if there are a lot of snow days, not all the way to June 22.
-Centers instruction earlier in the school year, ahead of testing and other spring events
-Time for additional professional development opportunities
-Better alignment with the school year calendar for neighboring school district, Frederick County Public Schools

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Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I know so many people (including us) that have travel plans the 3rd week of August. What is the point of putting out a calendar if we can't rely on it?!? Fortunately we don't have flights booked yet, but I know 7 families who are supposed to be out of the country! And since I have to get my work time off approved in advance that's the week I got, and it's unlikely I'll be able to switch, so I guess we're just not going on vacation this summer if they do this.

It would clearly be less disruptive at this point to take back some holidays (including Easter Monday), and even though every person I've spoken too is in favor of that approach versus moving the start date this year, I doubt the Board will have the guts to do it.

Any calendar change is disruptive. People just disagree on what is more disruptive.

I can't imagine anyone could argue with a straight face that starting the year several days earlier with less than 4 months notice is less disruptive than saying "for spring break, 11 months in the future, we will switch a couple of those days to possible makeup days if there's a lot of snow days.".

People would also complain if you shortened spring break. As others have pointed out, the makeup days are disproportionately allocated in the fall and early winter before we have any snow. MCPS isn't suddenly adding makeup days in the spring that you can use.

To me, starting earlier in August is the least disruptive. Obviously, people have a diversity of opinions on this topic.

How is it the least disruptive? It is only a few months away, when most people have already made plans of some type for that week, and it is also a huge deal for kids to miss the first few days of school (both for them themselves, and for the class as a whole.) It is also extremely hard on teachers who get no break after summer school and may already have committed to jobs during that week that will now be preservice week, and school staff who have barely any time to get the building ready after summer school.

Other options are much longer in the future, when many fewer people have plans. And if they do have plans, missing those days is much less consequential and disruptive than missing the first week of school for kids, or missing preservice for teachers.

This isn't even close. It's a slam dunk. The only way anyone could think starting early is less disruptive is if it's easier for you personally and you're unable to see past the end of your nose.

You seem to have mistaken your opinion on what is disruptive for yourself as representative of the entire MCPS community. Some people are happy to have their kids go back to school earlier in August. Not every MCPS family is flying back from Europe or Asia that week.

Sorry that your vacation plans may be messed up, but you're pretty narrow-minded if you can't see that others have different situations than you.

Some people prefer starting earlier. Others do not.

That does not change the fact that the early start is incredibly disruptive for a significant number of staff, students, and families in a way that none of the other changes would be.

It's not about who prefers what. It's about what is a doable change and what is an incredibly problematic change.

An "incredibly problematic change" is your opinion-not a fact. You have 4 months to adjust to the new calendar. That's a lot more notice than parents get when MCPS decides to keep schools closed 1 week after a snowstorm ends.

Typically parents aren't going to have nonrefundable travel, PTO, camps, etc. due to a weather emergency. This is an unnecessary expense and burden for MoCo at large.

Typical MCPS parents aren't going to have expensive travel plans and camps late in August. You're talking about a niche of well-off families. Many are going to be happy to have their kids back in school earlier so they can go to work (I know I am.)

Actually MOST MCPS parents have expensive travel plans, camp plans, etc. It doesn't make someone rich by going to the shore. It also doesn't magically make non-refundable, refundable. Good for you for not properly planning your summer- the rest of us actually did. No, I don't need to worry about my kid starting earlier because I based my summer on the calendar approved in December. You sound like you're always just planning to wing it.

You have no idea what plans MCPS parents have. You're just making things up because you're angry about the schedule changes. Some of us have a more flexible attitude to MCPS schedules--we have to, because MCPS schedules change all the time.

MCPS sometimes has unplanned closures, and sometimes the clearly labeled makeup days on the calendar are used as makeup days. I can't remember there ever being any other time when days off not labeled as days off have been turned into school days. It turns MCPS from a generally predictable district into a place with schedules that no one can trust anymore. I don't blame teachers one bit for quitting after this, it's ridiculous.

If teachers quit over starting work a few days earlier, having gotten unexpected extra vacation days the year before, they had issues with being at MCPS that go well beyond bad scheduling practices.

Serious thought exercise for you...

You really only get 1-2 weeks off a year because you work two different jobs. You've been planning to spend that week off with your family all year, saving what little money you make (because you aren't in a high paying profession but love it anyway) to go on a trip that you've put non-refundable deposits down on. Then, not 4 months before the trip is supposed to happen your employer goes "oh nevermind, we need you to come back to work a week earlier than planned, you can't take that trip anymore." How would you feel? Do you feel respected by your workplace in that case?

The DC area has the highest unemployment rate in the country thanks to Trump/DOGE/a crap economy. Excuse me while I don't use up all my sympathy on MCPS staff who are getting 4 months notice about a schedule change who may have to lose a deposit on an expensive vacation.

I see, so you need to take out the fact that your life isn't going well on the teachers and make everyone miserable around you. Got it. That's so nice of you...

And you missed that day in kindergarten where they should have taught you that you're not the sun and that the world doesn't revolve around you and your needs.

LOL I'm not even a teacher. I just have empathy for the people who teach my kids every day and the fact that this situation doesn't need to exist at all.

Too bad you don't have empathy for others in the DMV area who are suffering economic challenges far worse than a schedule change and who might actually benefit from having their kids back to school a few days earlier in August and from getting the 180 days of instructional time they need since MCPS student achievement levels are in the toilet.

But my non-refundable vacation deposit...waaaah waaaah waaaah!!

Again... the schedule change in no way guarantees we'll get 180 days of instruction. In fact, its just the opposite -- it helps MCPS get its waiver next year.

And apparently the world revolves around you and your need for childcare. Okay, got it.

God forbid people need childcare for their kids. Clearly that need pales in the face of your non-refundable vacation deposit.

How does starting the school year earlier help people who need childcare? People who need childcare that week have generally already booked camp for that last week (probably non-refundable since most of them that week are), so they will have to pay for the week despite only using 2-3 days of it. Even if they didn't, it's still the same number of days of school so they still have to pay for the same amount of camp, they just have to pay for an extra week next summer instead of this summer.

Clearly the PP is one of the people who has been affected by federal/DOGE layoffs and for that you have my full empathy. I was also laid off but have managed to find a new position. She’s probably stressed about the cost of camp and hadn’t signed her kid up because she doesn’t yet have a job and the news of an early start brought some news of financial relief. I feel you PP I do. But your situation is one of many. You are getting a windfall out of the pain of so many others who are cancelling trips and camps, losing money, and all around scrambling by the MCPS-made chaos. PP, I truly hope your situation improves soon.

But, that doesn’t change the fact that changing the calendar this close to the start of the year is not a good idea.

Changing the calendar four months from the start of the school year may adversely affect your vacation plans, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good idea for many others.

Please, PP, since you’re so convinced it’s a good idea, please enlighten me. Why is starting (and ending) earlier a good idea? Oh, and I’ll give you bonus points if you keep “AP tests” out of your response.

There are 61 pages of posts on this thread and it isn't because everyone thinks the schedule changes are a bad idea. Why don't you learn to read and try to understand a perspective that isn't identical to your own.

+1 Or better yet read the board presentation which explains that if you start earlier in August, there's more time to add days to the calendar before the Juneteenth deadline. Some of us want our kids to actually get the 180 days of education kids in the rest of the country get. Sorry if that interferes with your non-refundable vacation deposits.

Nope, this change is about giving kids less than 180 days. The changes are only for schools who want MSDE approval to waive the 180 day requirement in case of snow. Schools which are planning to give kids the full 180 days are totally free to leave their calendars as is.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I know so many people (including us) that have travel plans the 3rd week of August. What is the point of putting out a calendar if we can't rely on it?!? Fortunately we don't have flights booked yet, but I know 7 families who are supposed to be out of the country! And since I have to get my work time off approved in advance that's the week I got, and it's unlikely I'll be able to switch, so I guess we're just not going on vacation this summer if they do this.

It would clearly be less disruptive at this point to take back some holidays (including Easter Monday), and even though every person I've spoken too is in favor of that approach versus moving the start date this year, I doubt the Board will have the guts to do it.

Any calendar change is disruptive. People just disagree on what is more disruptive.

I can't imagine anyone could argue with a straight face that starting the year several days earlier with less than 4 months notice is less disruptive than saying "for spring break, 11 months in the future, we will switch a couple of those days to possible makeup days if there's a lot of snow days.".

People would also complain if you shortened spring break. As others have pointed out, the makeup days are disproportionately allocated in the fall and early winter before we have any snow. MCPS isn't suddenly adding makeup days in the spring that you can use.

To me, starting earlier in August is the least disruptive. Obviously, people have a diversity of opinions on this topic.

How is it the least disruptive? It is only a few months away, when most people have already made plans of some type for that week, and it is also a huge deal for kids to miss the first few days of school (both for them themselves, and for the class as a whole.) It is also extremely hard on teachers who get no break after summer school and may already have committed to jobs during that week that will now be preservice week, and school staff who have barely any time to get the building ready after summer school.

Other options are much longer in the future, when many fewer people have plans. And if they do have plans, missing those days is much less consequential and disruptive than missing the first week of school for kids, or missing preservice for teachers.

This isn't even close. It's a slam dunk. The only way anyone could think starting early is less disruptive is if it's easier for you personally and you're unable to see past the end of your nose.

You seem to have mistaken your opinion on what is disruptive for yourself as representative of the entire MCPS community. Some people are happy to have their kids go back to school earlier in August. Not every MCPS family is flying back from Europe or Asia that week.

Sorry that your vacation plans may be messed up, but you're pretty narrow-minded if you can't see that others have different situations than you.

Some people prefer starting earlier. Others do not.

That does not change the fact that the early start is incredibly disruptive for a significant number of staff, students, and families in a way that none of the other changes would be.

It's not about who prefers what. It's about what is a doable change and what is an incredibly problematic change.

An "incredibly problematic change" is your opinion-not a fact. You have 4 months to adjust to the new calendar. That's a lot more notice than parents get when MCPS decides to keep schools closed 1 week after a snowstorm ends.

Typically parents aren't going to have nonrefundable travel, PTO, camps, etc. due to a weather emergency. This is an unnecessary expense and burden for MoCo at large.

Typical MCPS parents aren't going to have expensive travel plans and camps late in August. You're talking about a niche of well-off families. Many are going to be happy to have their kids back in school earlier so they can go to work (I know I am.)

Actually MOST MCPS parents have expensive travel plans, camp plans, etc. It doesn't make someone rich by going to the shore. It also doesn't magically make non-refundable, refundable. Good for you for not properly planning your summer- the rest of us actually did. No, I don't need to worry about my kid starting earlier because I based my summer on the calendar approved in December. You sound like you're always just planning to wing it.

You have no idea what plans MCPS parents have. You're just making things up because you're angry about the schedule changes. Some of us have a more flexible attitude to MCPS schedules--we have to, because MCPS schedules change all the time.

MCPS sometimes has unplanned closures, and sometimes the clearly labeled makeup days on the calendar are used as makeup days. I can't remember there ever being any other time when days off not labeled as days off have been turned into school days. It turns MCPS from a generally predictable district into a place with schedules that no one can trust anymore. I don't blame teachers one bit for quitting after this, it's ridiculous.

If teachers quit over starting work a few days earlier, having gotten unexpected extra vacation days the year before, they had issues with being at MCPS that go well beyond bad scheduling practices.

Serious thought exercise for you...

You really only get 1-2 weeks off a year because you work two different jobs. You've been planning to spend that week off with your family all year, saving what little money you make (because you aren't in a high paying profession but love it anyway) to go on a trip that you've put non-refundable deposits down on. Then, not 4 months before the trip is supposed to happen your employer goes "oh nevermind, we need you to come back to work a week earlier than planned, you can't take that trip anymore." How would you feel? Do you feel respected by your workplace in that case?

The DC area has the highest unemployment rate in the country thanks to Trump/DOGE/a crap economy. Excuse me while I don't use up all my sympathy on MCPS staff who are getting 4 months notice about a schedule change who may have to lose a deposit on an expensive vacation.

I see, so you need to take out the fact that your life isn't going well on the teachers and make everyone miserable around you. Got it. That's so nice of you...

And you missed that day in kindergarten where they should have taught you that you're not the sun and that the world doesn't revolve around you and your needs.

LOL I'm not even a teacher. I just have empathy for the people who teach my kids every day and the fact that this situation doesn't need to exist at all.

Too bad you don't have empathy for others in the DMV area who are suffering economic challenges far worse than a schedule change and who might actually benefit from having their kids back to school a few days earlier in August and from getting the 180 days of instructional time they need since MCPS student achievement levels are in the toilet.

But my non-refundable vacation deposit...waaaah waaaah waaaah!!

Again... the schedule change in no way guarantees we'll get 180 days of instruction. In fact, its just the opposite -- it helps MCPS get its waiver next year.

And apparently the world revolves around you and your need for childcare. Okay, got it.

God forbid people need childcare for their kids. Clearly that need pales in the face of your non-refundable vacation deposit.

How does starting the school year earlier help people who need childcare? People who need childcare that week have generally already booked camp for that last week (probably non-refundable since most of them that week are), so they will have to pay for the week despite only using 2-3 days of it. Even if they didn't, it's still the same number of days of school so they still have to pay for the same amount of camp, they just have to pay for an extra week next summer instead of this summer.

Clearly the PP is one of the people who has been affected by federal/DOGE layoffs and for that you have my full empathy. I was also laid off but have managed to find a new position. She’s probably stressed about the cost of camp and hadn’t signed her kid up because she doesn’t yet have a job and the news of an early start brought some news of financial relief. I feel you PP I do. But your situation is one of many. You are getting a windfall out of the pain of so many others who are cancelling trips and camps, losing money, and all around scrambling by the MCPS-made chaos. PP, I truly hope your situation improves soon.

But, that doesn’t change the fact that changing the calendar this close to the start of the year is not a good idea.

Changing the calendar four months from the start of the school year may adversely affect your vacation plans, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good idea for many others.

Please, PP, since you’re so convinced it’s a good idea, please enlighten me. Why is starting (and ending) earlier a good idea? Oh, and I’ll give you bonus points if you keep “AP tests” out of your response.

There are 61 pages of posts on this thread and it isn't because everyone thinks the schedule changes are a bad idea. Why don't you learn to read and try to understand a perspective that isn't identical to your own.

+1 Or better yet read the board presentation which explains that if you start earlier in August, there's more time to add days to the calendar before the Juneteenth deadline. Some of us want our kids to actually get the 180 days of education kids in the rest of the country get. Sorry if that interferes with your non-refundable vacation deposits.

Nope, this change is about giving kids less than 180 days. The changes are only for schools who want MSDE approval to waive the 180 day requirement in case of snow. Schools which are planning to give kids the full 180 days are totally free to leave their calendars as is.

That's your opinion. The presentation literally says that by starting earlier in August, this calendar adds time to address inclement weather
ahead of June 18 deadline

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Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I know so many people (including us) that have travel plans the 3rd week of August. What is the point of putting out a calendar if we can't rely on it?!? Fortunately we don't have flights booked yet, but I know 7 families who are supposed to be out of the country! And since I have to get my work time off approved in advance that's the week I got, and it's unlikely I'll be able to switch, so I guess we're just not going on vacation this summer if they do this.

It would clearly be less disruptive at this point to take back some holidays (including Easter Monday), and even though every person I've spoken too is in favor of that approach versus moving the start date this year, I doubt the Board will have the guts to do it.

Any calendar change is disruptive. People just disagree on what is more disruptive.

I can't imagine anyone could argue with a straight face that starting the year several days earlier with less than 4 months notice is less disruptive than saying "for spring break, 11 months in the future, we will switch a couple of those days to possible makeup days if there's a lot of snow days.".

People would also complain if you shortened spring break. As others have pointed out, the makeup days are disproportionately allocated in the fall and early winter before we have any snow. MCPS isn't suddenly adding makeup days in the spring that you can use.

To me, starting earlier in August is the least disruptive. Obviously, people have a diversity of opinions on this topic.

How is it the least disruptive? It is only a few months away, when most people have already made plans of some type for that week, and it is also a huge deal for kids to miss the first few days of school (both for them themselves, and for the class as a whole.) It is also extremely hard on teachers who get no break after summer school and may already have committed to jobs during that week that will now be preservice week, and school staff who have barely any time to get the building ready after summer school.

Other options are much longer in the future, when many fewer people have plans. And if they do have plans, missing those days is much less consequential and disruptive than missing the first week of school for kids, or missing preservice for teachers.

This isn't even close. It's a slam dunk. The only way anyone could think starting early is less disruptive is if it's easier for you personally and you're unable to see past the end of your nose.

You seem to have mistaken your opinion on what is disruptive for yourself as representative of the entire MCPS community. Some people are happy to have their kids go back to school earlier in August. Not every MCPS family is flying back from Europe or Asia that week.

Sorry that your vacation plans may be messed up, but you're pretty narrow-minded if you can't see that others have different situations than you.

Some people prefer starting earlier. Others do not.

That does not change the fact that the early start is incredibly disruptive for a significant number of staff, students, and families in a way that none of the other changes would be.

It's not about who prefers what. It's about what is a doable change and what is an incredibly problematic change.

An "incredibly problematic change" is your opinion-not a fact. You have 4 months to adjust to the new calendar. That's a lot more notice than parents get when MCPS decides to keep schools closed 1 week after a snowstorm ends.

Typically parents aren't going to have nonrefundable travel, PTO, camps, etc. due to a weather emergency. This is an unnecessary expense and burden for MoCo at large.

Typical MCPS parents aren't going to have expensive travel plans and camps late in August. You're talking about a niche of well-off families. Many are going to be happy to have their kids back in school earlier so they can go to work (I know I am.)

Actually MOST MCPS parents have expensive travel plans, camp plans, etc. It doesn't make someone rich by going to the shore. It also doesn't magically make non-refundable, refundable. Good for you for not properly planning your summer- the rest of us actually did. No, I don't need to worry about my kid starting earlier because I based my summer on the calendar approved in December. You sound like you're always just planning to wing it.

You have no idea what plans MCPS parents have. You're just making things up because you're angry about the schedule changes. Some of us have a more flexible attitude to MCPS schedules--we have to, because MCPS schedules change all the time.

MCPS sometimes has unplanned closures, and sometimes the clearly labeled makeup days on the calendar are used as makeup days. I can't remember there ever being any other time when days off not labeled as days off have been turned into school days. It turns MCPS from a generally predictable district into a place with schedules that no one can trust anymore. I don't blame teachers one bit for quitting after this, it's ridiculous.

If teachers quit over starting work a few days earlier, having gotten unexpected extra vacation days the year before, they had issues with being at MCPS that go well beyond bad scheduling practices.

Serious thought exercise for you...

You really only get 1-2 weeks off a year because you work two different jobs. You've been planning to spend that week off with your family all year, saving what little money you make (because you aren't in a high paying profession but love it anyway) to go on a trip that you've put non-refundable deposits down on. Then, not 4 months before the trip is supposed to happen your employer goes "oh nevermind, we need you to come back to work a week earlier than planned, you can't take that trip anymore." How would you feel? Do you feel respected by your workplace in that case?

The DC area has the highest unemployment rate in the country thanks to Trump/DOGE/a crap economy. Excuse me while I don't use up all my sympathy on MCPS staff who are getting 4 months notice about a schedule change who may have to lose a deposit on an expensive vacation.

I see, so you need to take out the fact that your life isn't going well on the teachers and make everyone miserable around you. Got it. That's so nice of you...

And you missed that day in kindergarten where they should have taught you that you're not the sun and that the world doesn't revolve around you and your needs.

LOL I'm not even a teacher. I just have empathy for the people who teach my kids every day and the fact that this situation doesn't need to exist at all.

Too bad you don't have empathy for others in the DMV area who are suffering economic challenges far worse than a schedule change and who might actually benefit from having their kids back to school a few days earlier in August and from getting the 180 days of instructional time they need since MCPS student achievement levels are in the toilet.

But my non-refundable vacation deposit...waaaah waaaah waaaah!!

Again... the schedule change in no way guarantees we'll get 180 days of instruction. In fact, its just the opposite -- it helps MCPS get its waiver next year.

And apparently the world revolves around you and your need for childcare. Okay, got it.

God forbid people need childcare for their kids. Clearly that need pales in the face of your non-refundable vacation deposit.

How does starting the school year earlier help people who need childcare? People who need childcare that week have generally already booked camp for that last week (probably non-refundable since most of them that week are), so they will have to pay for the week despite only using 2-3 days of it. Even if they didn't, it's still the same number of days of school so they still have to pay for the same amount of camp, they just have to pay for an extra week next summer instead of this summer.

Clearly the PP is one of the people who has been affected by federal/DOGE layoffs and for that you have my full empathy. I was also laid off but have managed to find a new position. She’s probably stressed about the cost of camp and hadn’t signed her kid up because she doesn’t yet have a job and the news of an early start brought some news of financial relief. I feel you PP I do. But your situation is one of many. You are getting a windfall out of the pain of so many others who are cancelling trips and camps, losing money, and all around scrambling by the MCPS-made chaos. PP, I truly hope your situation improves soon.

But, that doesn’t change the fact that changing the calendar this close to the start of the year is not a good idea.

Changing the calendar four months from the start of the school year may adversely affect your vacation plans, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good idea for many others.

Please, PP, since you’re so convinced it’s a good idea, please enlighten me. Why is starting (and ending) earlier a good idea? Oh, and I’ll give you bonus points if you keep “AP tests” out of your response.

There are 61 pages of posts on this thread and it isn't because everyone thinks the schedule changes are a bad idea. Why don't you learn to read and try to understand a perspective that isn't identical to your own.

+1 Or better yet read the board presentation which explains that if you start earlier in August, there's more time to add days to the calendar before the Juneteenth deadline. Some of us want our kids to actually get the 180 days of education kids in the rest of the country get. Sorry if that interferes with your non-refundable vacation deposits.

Nope, this change is about giving kids less than 180 days. The changes are only for schools who want MSDE approval to waive the 180 day requirement in case of snow. Schools which are planning to give kids the full 180 days are totally free to leave their calendars as is.

That's your opinion. The presentation literally says that by starting earlier in August, this calendar adds time to address inclement weather
ahead of June 18 deadline

What’s that deadline for?

Oh, right. That’s the deadline to have makeup days if a district is applying for a waiver out of the 180 days.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I know so many people (including us) that have travel plans the 3rd week of August. What is the point of putting out a calendar if we can't rely on it?!? Fortunately we don't have flights booked yet, but I know 7 families who are supposed to be out of the country! And since I have to get my work time off approved in advance that's the week I got, and it's unlikely I'll be able to switch, so I guess we're just not going on vacation this summer if they do this.

It would clearly be less disruptive at this point to take back some holidays (including Easter Monday), and even though every person I've spoken too is in favor of that approach versus moving the start date this year, I doubt the Board will have the guts to do it.

Any calendar change is disruptive. People just disagree on what is more disruptive.

I can't imagine anyone could argue with a straight face that starting the year several days earlier with less than 4 months notice is less disruptive than saying "for spring break, 11 months in the future, we will switch a couple of those days to possible makeup days if there's a lot of snow days.".

People would also complain if you shortened spring break. As others have pointed out, the makeup days are disproportionately allocated in the fall and early winter before we have any snow. MCPS isn't suddenly adding makeup days in the spring that you can use.

To me, starting earlier in August is the least disruptive. Obviously, people have a diversity of opinions on this topic.

How is it the least disruptive? It is only a few months away, when most people have already made plans of some type for that week, and it is also a huge deal for kids to miss the first few days of school (both for them themselves, and for the class as a whole.) It is also extremely hard on teachers who get no break after summer school and may already have committed to jobs during that week that will now be preservice week, and school staff who have barely any time to get the building ready after summer school.

Other options are much longer in the future, when many fewer people have plans. And if they do have plans, missing those days is much less consequential and disruptive than missing the first week of school for kids, or missing preservice for teachers.

This isn't even close. It's a slam dunk. The only way anyone could think starting early is less disruptive is if it's easier for you personally and you're unable to see past the end of your nose.

You seem to have mistaken your opinion on what is disruptive for yourself as representative of the entire MCPS community. Some people are happy to have their kids go back to school earlier in August. Not every MCPS family is flying back from Europe or Asia that week.

Sorry that your vacation plans may be messed up, but you're pretty narrow-minded if you can't see that others have different situations than you.

Some people prefer starting earlier. Others do not.

That does not change the fact that the early start is incredibly disruptive for a significant number of staff, students, and families in a way that none of the other changes would be.

It's not about who prefers what. It's about what is a doable change and what is an incredibly problematic change.

An "incredibly problematic change" is your opinion-not a fact. You have 4 months to adjust to the new calendar. That's a lot more notice than parents get when MCPS decides to keep schools closed 1 week after a snowstorm ends.

Typically parents aren't going to have nonrefundable travel, PTO, camps, etc. due to a weather emergency. This is an unnecessary expense and burden for MoCo at large.

Typical MCPS parents aren't going to have expensive travel plans and camps late in August. You're talking about a niche of well-off families. Many are going to be happy to have their kids back in school earlier so they can go to work (I know I am.)

Actually MOST MCPS parents have expensive travel plans, camp plans, etc. It doesn't make someone rich by going to the shore. It also doesn't magically make non-refundable, refundable. Good for you for not properly planning your summer- the rest of us actually did. No, I don't need to worry about my kid starting earlier because I based my summer on the calendar approved in December. You sound like you're always just planning to wing it.

You have no idea what plans MCPS parents have. You're just making things up because you're angry about the schedule changes. Some of us have a more flexible attitude to MCPS schedules--we have to, because MCPS schedules change all the time.

MCPS sometimes has unplanned closures, and sometimes the clearly labeled makeup days on the calendar are used as makeup days. I can't remember there ever being any other time when days off not labeled as days off have been turned into school days. It turns MCPS from a generally predictable district into a place with schedules that no one can trust anymore. I don't blame teachers one bit for quitting after this, it's ridiculous.

If teachers quit over starting work a few days earlier, having gotten unexpected extra vacation days the year before, they had issues with being at MCPS that go well beyond bad scheduling practices.

Serious thought exercise for you...

You really only get 1-2 weeks off a year because you work two different jobs. You've been planning to spend that week off with your family all year, saving what little money you make (because you aren't in a high paying profession but love it anyway) to go on a trip that you've put non-refundable deposits down on. Then, not 4 months before the trip is supposed to happen your employer goes "oh nevermind, we need you to come back to work a week earlier than planned, you can't take that trip anymore." How would you feel? Do you feel respected by your workplace in that case?

The DC area has the highest unemployment rate in the country thanks to Trump/DOGE/a crap economy. Excuse me while I don't use up all my sympathy on MCPS staff who are getting 4 months notice about a schedule change who may have to lose a deposit on an expensive vacation.

I see, so you need to take out the fact that your life isn't going well on the teachers and make everyone miserable around you. Got it. That's so nice of you...

And you missed that day in kindergarten where they should have taught you that you're not the sun and that the world doesn't revolve around you and your needs.

LOL I'm not even a teacher. I just have empathy for the people who teach my kids every day and the fact that this situation doesn't need to exist at all.

Too bad you don't have empathy for others in the DMV area who are suffering economic challenges far worse than a schedule change and who might actually benefit from having their kids back to school a few days earlier in August and from getting the 180 days of instructional time they need since MCPS student achievement levels are in the toilet.

But my non-refundable vacation deposit...waaaah waaaah waaaah!!

Again... the schedule change in no way guarantees we'll get 180 days of instruction. In fact, its just the opposite -- it helps MCPS get its waiver next year.

And apparently the world revolves around you and your need for childcare. Okay, got it.

God forbid people need childcare for their kids. Clearly that need pales in the face of your non-refundable vacation deposit.

How does starting the school year earlier help people who need childcare? People who need childcare that week have generally already booked camp for that last week (probably non-refundable since most of them that week are), so they will have to pay for the week despite only using 2-3 days of it. Even if they didn't, it's still the same number of days of school so they still have to pay for the same amount of camp, they just have to pay for an extra week next summer instead of this summer.

Clearly the PP is one of the people who has been affected by federal/DOGE layoffs and for that you have my full empathy. I was also laid off but have managed to find a new position. She’s probably stressed about the cost of camp and hadn’t signed her kid up because she doesn’t yet have a job and the news of an early start brought some news of financial relief. I feel you PP I do. But your situation is one of many. You are getting a windfall out of the pain of so many others who are cancelling trips and camps, losing money, and all around scrambling by the MCPS-made chaos. PP, I truly hope your situation improves soon.

But, that doesn’t change the fact that changing the calendar this close to the start of the year is not a good idea.

Changing the calendar four months from the start of the school year may adversely affect your vacation plans, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good idea for many others.

Please, PP, since you’re so convinced it’s a good idea, please enlighten me. Why is starting (and ending) earlier a good idea? Oh, and I’ll give you bonus points if you keep “AP tests” out of your response.

There are 61 pages of posts on this thread and it isn't because everyone thinks the schedule changes are a bad idea. Why don't you learn to read and try to understand a perspective that isn't identical to your own.

+1 Or better yet read the board presentation which explains that if you start earlier in August, there's more time to add days to the calendar before the Juneteenth deadline. Some of us want our kids to actually get the 180 days of education kids in the rest of the country get. Sorry if that interferes with your non-refundable vacation deposits.

Nope, this change is about giving kids less than 180 days. The changes are only for schools who want MSDE approval to waive the 180 day requirement in case of snow. Schools which are planning to give kids the full 180 days are totally free to leave their calendars as is.

That's your opinion. The presentation literally says that by starting earlier in August, this calendar adds time to address inclement weather
ahead of June 18 deadline

What’s that deadline for?

Oh, right. That’s the deadline to have makeup days if a district is applying for a waiver out of the 180 days.

Yet somehow we have a more time to get to 180 days and actually have makeup days when we start earlier in August.