Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

NP here. New to MCPS. What is the HS start time issue? Thanks!

Here is a summary: http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2015/MoCo-High-Schools-Will-Start-20-Minutes-Later-Next-School-Year/

Basically, there was no good solution. The 20-minute delay was arguably the least bad low-cost alternative.

Thanks. I don't understand why changing the high school schedule has an impact on elementary schools. Why are they tied together? Seems like it would be better for elementary schools to start earlier and for high schools to start later.

No it wouldn't. High school kids need daylight for sports practices and many schools have to rotate times for limited fields. My child's sports practice was 5-7pm after the other team ran 3-5pm. They can't run sports until 9pm at night.

Also, many high school kids have to work after school or babysit younger siblings. Not everyone is uber rich with nannies and daycare.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

NP here. New to MCPS. What is the HS start time issue? Thanks!

Here is a summary: http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2015/MoCo-High-Schools-Will-Start-20-Minutes-Later-Next-School-Year/

Basically, there was no good solution. The 20-minute delay was arguably the least bad low-cost alternative.

Thanks. I don't understand why changing the high school schedule has an impact on elementary schools. Why are they tied together? Seems like it would be better for elementary schools to start earlier and for high schools to start later.

I am a teacher in MCPS. I truly don't understand this. For all the years I've attended and worked in MCPS, I have heard that MCPS only closes for religious holidays if they present an operational issue. In this situation, they are clearly closing due to religious reasons, not operational reasons.

Now the Board is changing its tune and saying that they will close school for students due to a religious holiday, but still make it a working day for staff. I don't celebrate the holiday in question, so I have no problem going to work on that day. But now we're potentially changing the start date to acknowledge a religious holiday?

The holiday in question does not fall on the same day during each calendar year. So how is the Board going to handle this in the following years?

There was a survey sent out by MCEA asking teachers to rank their choices for the 2016-2017 calendar year. The overwhelming reaction from teachers in MCPS was that it won't matter what teachers think. The Board didn't seem to care about what teachers thought about bell times or final exams, so why waste our time filling out yet another survey? But for those interested, here were the options from which to choose...

Option A - add an additional professional day on 9/12 at a cost of $7 million, and bump the last instructional day to Friday 6/16, and the last professional day to Monday 6/19
Option B - add an additional professional day on 9/12 at a cost of $7 million, and add back in an instructional day on Monday 4/10
Option C - swap a professional day to 9/12 by removing one of the end-of-marking period grading days
Option D - swap a professional day to 9/12 by decreasing the number of pre-service days, with the first instruction day being moved up to Friday 8/26
Option E - swap a professional day to 9/12 by decreasing the number of pre-service days, but avoid starting school on a Friday by moving up pre-service to Thurs 8/18, the first instruction day Wed. 8/24, and the final professional day to Tues. 6/13

In my opinion, they all suck. We need 5 professional days at the beginning of the year (at least in elementary to set up rooms), and we need the professional days at the end of the marking periods for grading and reporting. If the Board wants to add a professional day, that's fine by me. But do not remove existing professional days for religious reasons.

Please contact the Board this weekend if you disagree with their decision. They don't listen to teachers, but they will (?) listen to parents.

Anonymous wrote:It's the solution that's a problem, not the holiday.

+1000

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No more final exams. Start times shifted by 20 minutes. A debacle masquerading as a Superintendent search. Now this Bullshit (closing for a religious holiday less than one year after announcing that schools don't close for religious holidays; they close because low staff and student attendance is expected to make opening impossible). Anyone else think this Board of Ed is less than competent?

Or, more accurately, no more semester-long final exams written by the central office and administered during a special exam period. There will still be final exams.

Also, what was your solution for the high school start time issue?

The Board of Education is a mess, but the problems they're dealing with wouldn't be easy for the most competent Board of Education in the world to solve.

NP here. New to MCPS. What is the HS start time issue? Thanks!

The cry babies wanted more sleep, a group of coddling Mommies complained and the BOA spent 12 million to change the times by a whopping 20 minutes. So now my K student comes home as the sun is setting.

It's the solution that's a problem, not the holiday.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am also still confused about the addition of a religious holiday after they deleted all references to religious holidays. The fall is a series of days off which drives me crazy. That said, summer was way too long for my kids last year so I am OK with starting earlier.

We must bow down to Muslims. That is why.

Simple solution. Why don't we not celebrate any of the Christian holidays to make things equal? Then everyone can complain. I think its silly to miss easter, Christmas, and other holidays my kid should be at school.

(There are enough Muslims in our community where it is appropriate to give them holidays if we do the Christian and Jewish ones. I fully support it but wish they'd exchange it for a teacher day given how many missed days there are. Or shorten the Christmas holiday. I like my longer summers)

The State mandates Christmas and Easter holidays.

Also 90% of the country celebrates Christmas including teachers, principals, maintenence, cafeteria workers, etc... The percentage of Muslim workers in MCPS is extremely low.

My child goes to a private school that has zero religious holidays off. Thy have winter break for 3 weeks over Christmas and New Years. That is it. Not one other religious holiday off all year. If you celebrate a holiday, the teacher and the students get an excused absence. Irks perfectly fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:21:23, Will you give them yours?

Yes but one persons feedback is not going to make a difference. I doubt many people are aware of this change.

I wrote, too, 21:23!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:21:23, Will you give them yours?

Yes but one persons feedback is not going to make a difference. I doubt many people are aware of this change.

I wrote, too, 21:23!

Anonymous wrote:Share your opinions, whatever they may be, with the Board of Education. Larry Bower's recommendation is not set in stone, the Board has to vote on it.

boe@mcpsmd.org

If anyone is bothered wby this nonsensical change, write to the Board. If they get a lot of email waiting for them on Monday, they should notice,

Anonymous wrote:21:23, Will you give them yours?

Yes but one persons feedback is not going to make a difference. I doubt many people are aware of this change.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am also still confused about the addition of a religious holiday after they deleted all references to religious holidays. The fall is a series of days off which drives me crazy. That said, summer was way too long for my kids last year so I am OK with starting earlier.

We must bow down to Muslims. That is why.

Simple solution. Why don't we not celebrate any of the Christian holidays to make things equal? Then everyone can complain. I think its silly to miss easter, Christmas, and other holidays my kid should be at school.

(There are enough Muslims in our community where it is appropriate to give them holidays if we do the Christian and Jewish ones. I fully support it but wish they'd exchange it for a teacher day given how many missed days there are. Or shorten the Christmas holiday. I like my longer summers)

The State mandates Christmas and Easter holidays.

21:23, Will you give them yours?

I don't mind that MCPS will be closed for a Muslim holiday. I do mind that this is the solution.

The BOE is voting on Tuesday. I doubt they will receive much feedback before then.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am also still confused about the addition of a religious holiday after they deleted all references to religious holidays. The fall is a series of days off which drives me crazy. That said, summer was way too long for my kids last year so I am OK with starting earlier.

We must bow down to Muslims. That is why.

Simple solution. Why don't we not celebrate any of the Christian holidays to make things equal? Then everyone can complain. I think its silly to miss easter, Christmas, and other holidays my kid should be at school.

(There are enough Muslims in our community where it is appropriate to give them holidays if we do the Christian and Jewish ones. I fully support it but wish they'd exchange it for a teacher day given how many missed days there are. Or shorten the Christmas holiday. I like my longer summers)