Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because that's a Tuesday expect many absences on Dec 22/23.
Next year's calendar has the perfect storm of challenges: Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Diwali (new), Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha all land on otherwise school days and unlike this year none coincide with a quarter end. Yom Kippur 2024 was on a Saturday, Lunar New Year and Eid al-Fitr 2025 double up with Grading days but there is no such luxury next year leading to 3 extra days off and Diwali makes that 4.
Without any other tweaks there is the battle of starting a mini week on undesirable dates on Monday the 22nd either in December or June.
They could move the new transition day to the week before school to build a day in and adjust the calendar to avoid the low attendance days in late December but there would not be any freebies for cancelations. If the PD day in October is moved from the 17th to the 20th doubling with Diwali that would help but that is not much cushion in most years especially in brutal winters.

What needs to happen is for Maryland to join other states like neighboring Virginia and tweak the school calendar law to allow flexibility while still having a similar sized school year.
A. Schools must schedule 180 days but up to four free cancelations can occur before any makeup days are needed.
B. Up to 4 professional development days count towards the 180 day requirement (if there are 3 or less more student days are required)
C. 180 Day Hours equivalent {Some states including Virginia, Georgia, Florida have this option. (For Virginia it's 990 hours)}

It sure didn't take long for MCEA to cut school days after getting Zimnerman on the board. They could have at least waited until Zimmerman bothered to show up to a meeting.

The transition day was Taylor's idea, not MCEA's.

Read the OP. They want to cut 4 school days.

It would only be cutting 4 school days if there are 4 or more emergency closures. If there are 0-3 then there are more school days. There would still have to meet the 1080 hour requirement which is higher than many other states.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You want to get rid of 4 days of school-- how does that not get rid of instructional time?

Instructional time doesn't occur on 100% of "instructional days" maybe 95-97% of them. NOBODY wants makeup days during weeks where no school is planned. Bad weather and other things ex water main break happen. Built in time for that is good without lowering student or teacher moral. As long as the hours are still sufficient why not? Maryland requires 1080 hours which is 90 more than Virginia and some other states.

There isn't going to be enough instructional time if you cut 4 days. The remaining days and hours are going to be magically 100% utilized either. Some classes already don't get through everything.

They can still keep the 1080 hour requirement. This simply builds in time for bad weather and unexpected cancelations. Very similar school year but eliminates the undesirable nooks and crannies.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because that's a Tuesday expect many absences on Dec 22/23.
Next year's calendar has the perfect storm of challenges: Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Diwali (new), Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha all land on otherwise school days and unlike this year none coincide with a quarter end. Yom Kippur 2024 was on a Saturday, Lunar New Year and Eid al-Fitr 2025 double up with Grading days but there is no such luxury next year leading to 3 extra days off and Diwali makes that 4.
Without any other tweaks there is the battle of starting a mini week on undesirable dates on Monday the 22nd either in December or June.
They could move the new transition day to the week before school to build a day in and adjust the calendar to avoid the low attendance days in late December but there would not be any freebies for cancelations. If the PD day in October is moved from the 17th to the 20th doubling with Diwali that would help but that is not much cushion in most years especially in brutal winters.

What needs to happen is for Maryland to join other states like neighboring Virginia and tweak the school calendar law to allow flexibility while still having a similar sized school year.
A. Schools must schedule 180 days but up to four free cancelations can occur before any makeup days are needed.
B. Up to 4 professional development days count towards the 180 day requirement (if there are 3 or less more student days are required)
C. 180 Day Hours equivalent {Some states including Virginia, Georgia, Florida have this option. (For Virginia it's 990 hours)}

It sure didn't take long for MCEA to cut school days after getting Zimnerman on the board. They could have at least waited until Zimmerman bothered to show up to a meeting.

The transition day was Taylor's idea, not MCEA's.

Read the OP. They want to cut 4 school days.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You want to get rid of 4 days of school-- how does that not get rid of instructional time?

Instructional time doesn't occur on 100% of "instructional days" maybe 95-97% of them. NOBODY wants makeup days during weeks where no school is planned. Bad weather and other things ex water main break happen. Built in time for that is good without lowering student or teacher moral. As long as the hours are still sufficient why not? Maryland requires 1080 hours which is 90 more than Virginia and some other states.

There isn't going to be enough instructional time if you cut 4 days. The remaining days and hours are going to be magically 100% utilized either. Some classes already don't get through everything.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You want to get rid of 4 days of school-- how does that not get rid of instructional time?

Instructional time doesn't occur on 100% of "instructional days" maybe 95-97% of them. NOBODY wants makeup days during weeks where no school is planned. Bad weather and other things ex water main break happen. Built in time for that is good without lowering student or teacher moral. As long as the hours are still sufficient why not? Maryland requires 1080 hours which is 90 more than Virginia and some other states.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because that's a Tuesday expect many absences on Dec 22/23.
Next year's calendar has the perfect storm of challenges: Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Diwali (new), Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha all land on otherwise school days and unlike this year none coincide with a quarter end. Yom Kippur 2024 was on a Saturday, Lunar New Year and Eid al-Fitr 2025 double up with Grading days but there is no such luxury next year leading to 3 extra days off and Diwali makes that 4.
Without any other tweaks there is the battle of starting a mini week on undesirable dates on Monday the 22nd either in December or June.
They could move the new transition day to the week before school to build a day in and adjust the calendar to avoid the low attendance days in late December but there would not be any freebies for cancelations. If the PD day in October is moved from the 17th to the 20th doubling with Diwali that would help but that is not much cushion in most years especially in brutal winters.

What needs to happen is for Maryland to join other states like neighboring Virginia and tweak the school calendar law to allow flexibility while still having a similar sized school year.
A. Schools must schedule 180 days but up to four free cancelations can occur before any makeup days are needed.
B. Up to 4 professional development days count towards the 180 day requirement (if there are 3 or less more student days are required)
C. 180 Day Hours equivalent {Some states including Virginia, Georgia, Florida have this option. (For Virginia it's 990 hours)}

It sure didn't take long for MCEA to cut school days after getting Zimnerman on the board. They could have at least waited until Zimmerman bothered to show up to a meeting.

The transition day was Taylor's idea, not MCEA's.

Anonymous wrote:
You want to get rid of 4 days of school-- how does that not get rid of instructional time?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because that's a Tuesday expect many absences on Dec 22/23.
Next year's calendar has the perfect storm of challenges: Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Diwali (new), Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha all land on otherwise school days and unlike this year none coincide with a quarter end. Yom Kippur 2024 was on a Saturday, Lunar New Year and Eid al-Fitr 2025 double up with Grading days but there is no such luxury next year leading to 3 extra days off and Diwali makes that 4.
Without any other tweaks there is the battle of starting a mini week on undesirable dates on Monday the 22nd either in December or June.
They could move the new transition day to the week before school to build a day in and adjust the calendar to avoid the low attendance days in late December but there would not be any freebies for cancelations. If the PD day in October is moved from the 17th to the 20th doubling with Diwali that would help but that is not much cushion in most years especially in brutal winters.

What needs to happen is for Maryland to join other states like neighboring Virginia and tweak the school calendar law to allow flexibility while still having a similar sized school year.
A. Schools must schedule 180 days but up to four free cancelations can occur before any makeup days are needed.
B. Up to 4 professional development days count towards the 180 day requirement (if there are 3 or less more student days are required)
C. 180 Day Hours equivalent {Some states including Virginia, Georgia, Florida have this option. (For Virginia it's 990 hours)}

It sure didn't take long for MCEA to cut school days after getting Zimnerman on the board. They could have at least waited until Zimmerman bothered to show up to a meeting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish all those religious/cultural days off were school days and also excused absences for those observing. It really would nicer to have a long winter break.

I also wish MD would get rid of the Monday after Easter.

And we fall into one of those groups!

That's a terrible idea. Semi-religious people will send their kids to school because missing a day of school is worse than taking a day off - Cultural Jew who'd be pissed sending her kids to school on Rosh Hashanah.

Anonymous wrote:Because that's a Tuesday expect many absences on Dec 22/23.
Next year's calendar has the perfect storm of challenges: Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Diwali (new), Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha all land on otherwise school days and unlike this year none coincide with a quarter end. Yom Kippur 2024 was on a Saturday, Lunar New Year and Eid al-Fitr 2025 double up with Grading days but there is no such luxury next year leading to 3 extra days off and Diwali makes that 4.
Without any other tweaks there is the battle of starting a mini week on undesirable dates on Monday the 22nd either in December or June.
They could move the new transition day to the week before school to build a day in and adjust the calendar to avoid the low attendance days in late December but there would not be any freebies for cancelations. If the PD day in October is moved from the 17th to the 20th doubling with Diwali that would help but that is not much cushion in most years especially in brutal winters.

What needs to happen is for Maryland to join other states like neighboring Virginia and tweak the school calendar law to allow flexibility while still having a similar sized school year.
A. Schools must schedule 180 days but up to four free cancelations can occur before any makeup days are needed.
B. Up to 4 professional development days count towards the 180 day requirement (if there are 3 or less more student days are required)
C. 180 Day Hours equivalent {Some states including Virginia, Georgia, Florida have this option. (For Virginia it's 990 hours)}

Anonymous wrote:Easter Monday is a day they could certainly claw back. Diwali, as much as it should be recognized is not celebrated during the day so they could claw that back also, or at least make it an half day (though I know folks despise those also).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Why do you want to desperately get rid of instruction time for students?

This wouldn't be getting rid of real instructional time just some the useless quota time (where the schools can say they were open to count towards 180 but no real instruction actually happens). Nobody wants to lose time during spring break or go deep into June if there is a bad winter. As for various holidays like Diwali and Dec 22/23 it's all about which days will there be normal attendance weather that is students, teachers or staff. If many people will be out it does not make sense to hold school but if over 90% will be there then why not?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because that's a Tuesday expect many absences on Dec 22/23.
Next year's calendar has the perfect storm of challenges: Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Diwali (new), Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha all land on otherwise school days and unlike this year none coincide with a quarter end. Yom Kippur 2024 was on a Saturday, Lunar New Year and Eid al-Fitr 2025 double up with Grading days but there is no such luxury next year leading to 3 extra days off and Diwali makes that 4.
Without any other tweaks there is the battle of starting a mini week on undesirable dates on Monday the 22nd either in December or June.
They could move the new transition day to the week before school to build a day in and adjust the calendar to avoid the low attendance days in late December but there would not be any freebies for cancelations. If the PD day in October is moved from the 17th to the 20th doubling with Diwali that would help but that is not much cushion in most years especially in brutal winters.

What needs to happen is for Maryland to join other states like neighboring Virginia and tweak the school calendar law to allow flexibility while still having a similar sized school year.
A. Schools must schedule 180 days but up to four free cancelations can occur before any makeup days are needed.
B. Up to 4 professional development days count towards the 180 day requirement (if there are 3 or less more student days are required)
C. 180 Day Hours equivalent {Some states including Virginia, Georgia, Florida have this option. (For Virginia it's 990 hours)}

What really needs to happen is MD stops requiring Easter Monday off, which is useless.

Yeah, that should be a no-brainer. And I'm a Christian so not sure why Easter Monday is still needed.

Anonymous wrote:
Why do you want to desperately get rid of instruction time for students?