Anonymous wrote:6 Day school week then

Anonymous wrote:When is this voted on?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the best solution is to make the days longer to be honest. At the current school length, a lot of instructional time is "wasted" on much needed relationship building, especially in the secondary level. If we were to make each class like 20 minutes longer we could allow for teachers to have that vital 10-15 minutes of relationship building each day and still have a solid 45 minutes of instruction. This would allow for teachers to know their students better and for students to trust their teachers more. I believe it would improve just about every aspect of the day from classroom management to performance.

You could then go to a 4 or 4.5 day school week and give staff and students a much needed break every week to reset.

You said the quiet part out loud. This isn't just about snow days. People are going to try to use this to try to push through a shortened school week.

No, we shouldn't add even more days off. Adding time to the the day doesn't let you get through more material in elementary school. You wouldn't have enough days to get through all the lessons.

Anonymous wrote:I think the best solution is to make the days longer to be honest. At the current school length, a lot of instructional time is "wasted" on much needed relationship building, especially in the secondary level. If we were to make each class like 20 minutes longer we could allow for teachers to have that vital 10-15 minutes of relationship building each day and still have a solid 45 minutes of instruction. This would allow for teachers to know their students better and for students to trust their teachers more. I believe it would improve just about every aspect of the day from classroom management to performance.

You could then go to a 4 or 4.5 day school week and give staff and students a much needed break every week to reset.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They need to prepare to pay staff and teachers when the year is extended. By extending the school year, it eats into days that they could work a summer job.

The calendar isn't being extended. This is using the make-up days already in the calendars. These are already covered by the compensation for salaried staff.

This is true, but misses a point that the previous poster was making.

If school ended "on time," teachers would be able to start summer employment. Some need that employment to pay the bills. Teachers are paid for a certain number of days each year. They did not "work" the snow days, so those days do not count towards that total. However, for pay purposes, they were paid on the snow days. They will now work the extended days without pay. Contractually, this is good because they worked the number of days they should work and were paid for those days, just paid "in advance" (on the snow day, not on the extended day).


I understand this is what the teachers contracted to do. In a way, they need to "take a deep breath and get to work." However, everyone deserves a well planned out calendar. If we had a well planned out calendar this year with contingency days that would actually work (not using someone's religious holiday), then we would not be in this place now where families with vacations need to decide if they pull their students out of school or not and teachers with summer jobs need to decide if they are going to take leave in order to do their second job.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the best solution is to make the days longer to be honest. At the current school length, a lot of instructional time is "wasted" on much needed relationship building, especially in the secondary level. If we were to make each class like 20 minutes longer we could allow for teachers to have that vital 10-15 minutes of relationship building each day and still have a solid 45 minutes of instruction. This would allow for teachers to know their students better and for students to trust their teachers more. I believe it would improve just about every aspect of the day from classroom management to performance.

You could then go to a 4 or 4.5 day school week and give staff and students a much needed break every week to reset.

This would be killer for elementary schoolers. The day is already so long for them. They would do better with shorter days but more of them. They need consistency.

I disagree. Our schools days in MCPS feel short to me compared to VA districts where ES is 8:40-3:40 and HS is 7:25-2:25.

Maybe then MCPS would finally give elementary kids the required minimum amount of PE!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the best solution is to make the days longer to be honest. At the current school length, a lot of instructional time is "wasted" on much needed relationship building, especially in the secondary level. If we were to make each class like 20 minutes longer we could allow for teachers to have that vital 10-15 minutes of relationship building each day and still have a solid 45 minutes of instruction. This would allow for teachers to know their students better and for students to trust their teachers more. I believe it would improve just about every aspect of the day from classroom management to performance.

You could then go to a 4 or 4.5 day school week and give staff and students a much needed break every week to reset.

This would be killer for elementary schoolers. The day is already so long for them. They would do better with shorter days but more of them. They need consistency.

I disagree. Our schools days in MCPS feel short to me compared to VA districts where ES is 8:40-3:40 and HS is 7:25-2:25.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the best solution is to make the days longer to be honest. At the current school length, a lot of instructional time is "wasted" on much needed relationship building, especially in the secondary level. If we were to make each class like 20 minutes longer we could allow for teachers to have that vital 10-15 minutes of relationship building each day and still have a solid 45 minutes of instruction. This would allow for teachers to know their students better and for students to trust their teachers more. I believe it would improve just about every aspect of the day from classroom management to performance.

You could then go to a 4 or 4.5 day school week and give staff and students a much needed break every week to reset.

This would be killer for elementary schoolers. The day is already so long for them. They would do better with shorter days but more of them. They need consistency.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have received no less than 3 emails asking me to sign petitions/letters to encourage the state legislature to pass this bill. I will not be signing and I hope this doesnt pass.

The bill carves out an exception for MCPS from every other school district in MD to not have a minimum number of days but only a minimum number of hours, in perpetuity. This is not just about this year, this is about how MCPS cares about our kids’ education into the future.

I’m frustrated as everyone else that MCPS is extending the school year until almost July, but simply exempting themselves out of requirements is not the solution. We need a better calendar. We need to recognize that not every group can get their holidays off (and I’m fully in favor of no group getting them off, including Christian holidays… and I’m not Christian, I’m Jewish for the record). We do not need to be reducing the amount of education available to our kids.

Do not sign the petitions and let your state reps know not to pass this bill.

You’re honestly an idiot. Most states have either a minimum number of days or a minimum number of hours, not both. This isn’t about anytime trying to get out of anything.

Then why wouldn’t they change this for the state writ large and not just a special carve out for MCPS?

Talbot County has a similar bill pending. They really ought to change it for the whole state.

I think this bill is perfectly fine. Everyone complaining about why MCPS doesn't manage their snow days like Fairfax and Loudoun with a bunch of extra built in, this is how those districts manage it, because VA only requires 990 hours. You can't have it both ways. Loudoun has like 15+ snow days because their school day is longer. Maryland requires 1080 hours AND 180 days, which is stupid. The tack-on days are a pointless waste of resources, and so are the virtual days that other counties have started so they can claim on paper that they had a day of "school."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP needs to get over themselves. Virginia has had hourly requirements for years and they are testing way better than MD

Correlation is not causation. Why not look at Massachusetts which requires 185 days to be scheduled each year in the expectation of having at least 180 after the snow days.

Massachusetts “tests better” than both VA and MD.