Reply to MCPS updated calendar is insane

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So why does MCPS include makeup days in the calendar, and then not use them?   3/20 and 4/15 would have been preferable to these June days.[/quote]

They are trying to get a waiver of the 180 days requirement.  It’s a gambit. It appears so outrageous, and then they just want out of the days requirement.  The state legislature may actually do it…even though they are not using the designated back up days.[/quote]

It was already denied yesterday. The state has had it with MCPS entitlement [/quote]

MCPS is pushing emergency bill right now in state legislature to override [/quote]

It didn’t work last time they tried. All other counties in Maryland but us were operational after the week off weekend AND used some of their contingency days. PG even used Presidents Day when the state allowed it.  MC did not. The teachers union refused to use April 15th. Muslims want their holiday.

Why should the state allow MCPS to go less days than every other f’ing county when they haven’t put ANY effort getting these kids the right number of days. [/quote]

The problem now is that MCPS is getting the legislature to change the law just for them. What an embarrassment. Half our kids can’t read at grade level, and they are even worse at math, but MCPS is seeking to permanently get rid of the 180 day requirement — rather than commit to doing better planning moving forward. [/quote]

Not sure at all why people are making comments like this about the proposed legislation.  Schools are required to be in session for a certain number of hours per year, period.  I forget what the requirement is in MD for elementary schools, but for high schools I believe it is 1170 hours.  MCPS exceeds this requirement in its proposed yearly calendars by approximately 16 days.  There is a separate requirement for schools regarding how short or long a particular school day is - to avoid unlikely scenarios like making kids go to school for just a couple of hours at a time or creating school days that last from dawn until dusk.  With these limitations, I don't see a single valid argument for adding the caveat that schools must meet these requirements in a format of 180 separate days or more.  It's just dumb.  As long as school districts are meeting for a specified minimum amount of time within reasonable daily parameters, no one should care of it happens in 170 days or in 185.  In light of inclement weather, this legislation would simply eliminate the arbitrary requirement of meeting both the hourly AND daily requirement.  Done.  Saying that's unreasonable is pointless.[/quote]

It isn't unreasonable nor is it unusual to specify a number of days. Particularly in elementary school, curriculum is based on daily lessons. You can't get through the material without a sufficient number of days. You can't extend a day by 10% and do 1.1 lessons per day.

MCPS isn't just engaged in poor planning- they're deliberately harming kids. They know they don't have enough days in the calendar, but continue to pass calendars that repeat those decisions. The half-days tacked on to the end of the year are outrageous. The superintendent and BoE are trying to make them as worthless as possible in the hopes that MD will let them out of their legal responsibilities.[/quote] Colorado requires 160 days, Minnesota 165 days, Kentucky 170 days and many others have a straight hours requirement (like 990 hours) equating that to "180 days: If MD E/MS schools get 1080 hours that is 90 more than many other states and 1170 for high schools is more than any other state requires. They are not being shortened on time. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab5_14.asp[/quote]

Look at that table- lots of rows with 180.

I grew up in Minnesota, so your reference to that is funny to me. It was a sore subject for kids when I was in school. We'd always complain that we had 15 more days in the calendar than the state requirement. That's common there. Can you imagine MCPS doing more than the bare minimum? Or even reaching the bare minimum?[/quote]

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