Anonymous
Post 09/20/2017 14:20     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
I'm Jewish and actually agree that at this point they just need to eliminate all religious holidays from the school calendar. However, I grew up here in Montgomery County and the reason they started closing the schools for the holidays was because too many teachers were absent and quite honestly so were a significant number of students. I can't vouch for all the schools in MCPS, but we have plenty of Jewish teachers at my kids schools. It will be a problem to have the schools open, but given the situation, there really doesn't seem to be a better solution.
Anonymous
Post 09/20/2017 14:19     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar

I am person who posted the foreign - French - school calendar, with the shorter summer and longer breaks during the year.

I'm willing to be convinced there is an economic benefit to this new MCPS calendar which would outweigh the proven benefits of a more spread-out school year, but for now I'm not seeing it.

Longer fall, winter and spring breaks could be wonderful economic opportunities for tourism. France has beaches, lakes, cute countryside and mountains that are touristed during those times. I believe Maryland would use its beaches, lakes, countryside and hills to the same effect. The school-year breaks could also be wonderful opportunities for camps.

To answer the other PP with a question about secular and religious single days off : many of them are bunched up in May, due to French history, and that month is annoying.

The French public school system has longer school days that the American one, and teacher training usually happens outside of the students' presence in school, because duh - teachers have to be with their students on days the students are there. I was surprised to see all these professional days during the school year when we first entered MCPS. The French system has minimal disruptions for students compared to here, with the occasional exception that unions are very strong in France, and some teachers love to protest in the street (with or without their students!) whenever anyone hints at education change.

My point is that it's interesting to see how other countries do things. The fear that we're stuck with no good options is merely a sign that we haven't brainstormed enough. There HAS to be something better out there!

Anonymous
Post 09/20/2017 14:13     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I actually think ALL religious holidays ought to be removed, including "Easter Monday" (which is not a thing).

Make religious holidays an excused absence and move along.

As for the so-called "operational reasons" for having YK and RH off, I'm calling BS. I've had kids in the MCPS system for a looooong time and substitutes are pretty much uniformly retired teachers, mostly African American. Yes, there are Black Jews. No, there is not a critical mass to the point that it would influence ability to get subs.


I don't think the operational argument is that the subs take off for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.


That is exactly the argument a PP made. And I quote: "I'm sure you'll all be on here complaining when schools are open on Jewish holidays and there aren't enough subs in the system to cover all of the vacancies. Schools aren't closed on Jewish holidays for religious reasons. They're closed for operational reasons. Schools can't even fill all vacancies from the sub system on a regular day."
Anonymous
Post 09/20/2017 14:11     Subject: Re:Next Year's School Calendar
Eliminating all religious holidays from the calendar does more to honor diversity than including only some of them. When the school system chooses to close schools on some religious holidays, someone is always going to be excluded. By making decisions to close schools only based on operations, everyone is treated fairly. I am also a devout Catholic, but I don't think Good Friday and Easter Monday should be school holidays. MCPS allows both students and staff to be absent from school on religious holidays, so everyone of every religion has the same opportunity to enjoy their own religious holidays if they'd like to make that a priority. It's so silly to say that "Trumpers" are trying to ban religious holidays or to say that anyone is on a crusade to get rid of these holidays for dishonorable reasons, when every person who has posted on this topic has explained their feeling that eliminating the holidays will create a greater equity across the school system.
Anonymous
Post 09/20/2017 13:56     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:I actually think ALL religious holidays ought to be removed, including "Easter Monday" (which is not a thing).

Make religious holidays an excused absence and move along.

As for the so-called "operational reasons" for having YK and RH off, I'm calling BS. I've had kids in the MCPS system for a looooong time and substitutes are pretty much uniformly retired teachers, mostly African American. Yes, there are Black Jews. No, there is not a critical mass to the point that it would influence ability to get subs.


I don't think the operational argument is that the subs take off for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Anonymous
Post 09/20/2017 13:53     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
I actually think ALL religious holidays ought to be removed, including "Easter Monday" (which is not a thing).

Make religious holidays an excused absence and move along.

As for the so-called "operational reasons" for having YK and RH off, I'm calling BS. I've had kids in the MCPS system for a looooong time and substitutes are pretty much uniformly retired teachers, mostly African American. Yes, there are Black Jews. No, there is not a critical mass to the point that it would influence ability to get subs.
Anonymous
Post 09/20/2017 13:36     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm sure you'll all be on here complaining when schools are open on Jewish holidays and there aren't enough subs in the system to cover all of the vacancies. Schools aren't closed on Jewish holidays for religious reasons. They're closed for operational reasons. Schools can't even fill all vacancies from the sub system on a regular day.


Apparently, MCPS schools do close for religious reasons. When MCPS decided to add Eid to the school calendar last year, they cited the need to honor diversity as the reason. It had absolutely nothing to do with operations. That is a dangerous path for the Board of Education to walk because it opens the door for people of all faiths to ask for the same deference, and we know this isn't possible within the school calendar.



I agree. That was a really stupid move on their part. Not because honoring diversity is bad, but it sets the precedent and other groups can argue that their holidays are not viewed as important in the eyes of the Board of Ed. But originally schools being closed on Jewish holidays was due to operational reasons.


Chinese New Year is next. They are meeting with the board this year. Another day off soon.
Anonymous
Post 09/20/2017 13:35     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:

Apparently, MCPS schools do close for religious reasons. When MCPS decided to add Eid to the school calendar last year, they cited the need to honor diversity as the reason. It had absolutely nothing to do with operations. That is a dangerous path for the Board of Education to walk because it opens the door for people of all faiths to ask for the same deference, and we know this isn't possible within the school calendar.



That's why you're busy leading the effort to remove the Friday before Easter and the Monday after Easter as mandatory state-wide closed-school days, right? Because of your firm belief that schools should not close for religious holidays.


Not the PP, I am Catholic and would 100% support removing both of them. I prefer Spring Break to always be after 3rd marking period. I hate having it around Easter.
Anonymous
Post 09/20/2017 13:32     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Because year-round school isn't a thing in the US, no matter how much they try.


Yes, and the only places it can work are in areas that have year round tourism or no actual tourism at all.

People want to bitch about the summer break but there is a small window to keep state beach/lake areas, campgrounds, amusement parks, public pools, etc... profitable to keep them afloat. You continue to shrink that window and you shrink their economy, you close down small businesses, you decrease the chances these businesses can hire college/high school students, you decease sales taxes and business taxes going back to our state. These are things parents do not think about.


All great points!

Areas like Florida and California could easily do year round school but this area could not. Why do you think Disney chose those two states? Six Flags, Kings Dominion, Hershey Park, OCMD boardwalk, Deep Creek, Colonial Williamsburg etc.. would all close or at least lose a ton of small business surrounding if we did year round school, because they don't make money year round and close in the winter. They need their summer seasons at full peak to survive.
Anonymous
Post 09/20/2017 13:24     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:

Apparently, MCPS schools do close for religious reasons. When MCPS decided to add Eid to the school calendar last year, they cited the need to honor diversity as the reason. It had absolutely nothing to do with operations. That is a dangerous path for the Board of Education to walk because it opens the door for people of all faiths to ask for the same deference, and we know this isn't possible within the school calendar.



That's why you're busy leading the effort to remove the Friday before Easter and the Monday after Easter as mandatory state-wide closed-school days, right? Because of your firm belief that schools should not close for religious holidays.
Anonymous
Post 09/20/2017 13:24     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:I'm sure you'll all be on here complaining when schools are open on Jewish holidays and there aren't enough subs in the system to cover all of the vacancies. Schools aren't closed on Jewish holidays for religious reasons. They're closed for operational reasons. Schools can't even fill all vacancies from the sub system on a regular day.


Apparently, MCPS schools do close for religious reasons. When MCPS decided to add Eid to the school calendar last year, they cited the need to honor diversity as the reason. It had absolutely nothing to do with operations. That is a dangerous path for the Board of Education to walk because it opens the door for people of all faiths to ask for the same deference, and we know this isn't possible within the school calendar.



I agree. That was a really stupid move on their part. Not because honoring diversity is bad, but it sets the precedent and other groups can argue that their holidays are not viewed as important in the eyes of the Board of Ed. But originally schools being closed on Jewish holidays was due to operational reasons.
Anonymous
Post 09/20/2017 13:22     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
I'm sure you'll all be on here complaining when schools are open on Jewish holidays and there aren't enough subs in the system to cover all of the vacancies. Schools aren't closed on Jewish holidays for religious reasons. They're closed for operational reasons. Schools can't even fill all vacancies from the sub system on a regular day.


Apparently, MCPS schools do close for religious reasons. When MCPS decided to add Eid to the school calendar last year, they cited the need to honor diversity as the reason. It had absolutely nothing to do with operations. That is a dangerous path for the Board of Education to walk because it opens the door for people of all faiths to ask for the same deference, and we know this isn't possible within the school calendar.

Anonymous
Post 09/20/2017 13:18     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:

I agree. Summer is also an important time for kids to learn from experiences that happen outside the school structure. I am completely in favor of Governor Hogan's efforts to "let summer be summer." But of course some adjustments will have to be made within the school calendar to accommodate the change. I agree with the previous poster who said we should go with the plan to eliminate religious holidays and keep Spring Break. Spring Break comes at a time when families could use a break from school. This is not true of the Jewish Holidays which occur just when lessons are getting fully underway.


"Let summer be summer" was actually Peter Franchot's slogan, and I thought that it was pretty silly. Summer is summer, regardless, whether kids are out of school for 10 weeks or 12 weeks. And letting school districts set their own calendars doesn't somehow nullify summer.
Anonymous
Post 09/20/2017 13:17     Subject: Re:Next Year's School Calendar
As a working parent, I like the new calendar. I find it easier to plan for the extra week of childcare in the summer than for the single days off sprinkled throughout the old calendar. I wasn't a fan of Hogan originally, but he has my vote based on this decision and others he's made which have helped Maryland to get on a better financial track.
Anonymous
Post 09/20/2017 13:16     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:

Our state has 4 seasons and Summer is our biggest season for tourism and helps to pay for our school budgets. Not to mention all the summer camps that can not open in the middle of the year because of weather and not have the ability to hire college or high school counselors for those small 2 week windows. What about pool lifeguards. Most of them are high schoolers. How can they work when they are in the school parts of the summer. How would your schedule and all the breaks work with high school sports? Sorry, not a fan.


I agree. Summer is also an important time for kids to learn from experiences that happen outside the school structure. I am completely in favor of Governor Hogan's efforts to "let summer be summer." But of course some adjustments will have to be made within the school calendar to accommodate the change. I agree with the previous poster who said we should go with the plan to eliminate religious holidays and keep Spring Break. Spring Break comes at a time when families could use a break from school. This is not true of the Jewish Holidays which occur just when lessons are getting fully underway.


I'm sure you'll all be on here complaining when schools are open on Jewish holidays and there aren't enough subs in the system to cover all of the vacancies. Schools aren't closed on Jewish holidays for religious reasons. They're closed for operational reasons. Schools can't even fill all vacancies from the sub system on a regular day.