how many of us have kids who are watching movies the days before long breaks and the last few days of the year?

If you don't think your kids are ask them that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is this a ridiculous policy? I do 't get it.

Personally we love the longer summer. If you don't like it, then put your kid in an academic camp or something. It's nice to have that long break.

We always started after Labor Day when I was growing up in NY.

Retention of academic learning is why it's a ridiculous policy. Studies show that longer summer breaks = less retention of learning. An equal number of shorter breaks throughout the school year = more retention. That is why some school districts go to "year round" school.

If we would have started on Aug 28th this year, we would have had off for Sept 1st Eid and it would have shortened the summer by a whopping 4 days. Please just stop. And it is not the public school's job to make sure kids retain their learning year round. It is the PARENTS. The fact that people think only a public school should be teaching a child is what is sad these days.

Anonymous wrote:We aren't in DC, but in Chesterfield, Va. The kids have 180 total days. That fit in those start & stop with a week-long spring break, 2 weeks at Christmas, not sure how many state holidays.

http://mychesterfieldschools.com/wp-content/uploads/calendar_files/CCPS2017-18_calendar.pdf

MCPS gets one one week of winter break.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So those newspaper articles talking about how the majority of parents wanted the start of school pushed back were imaginary? The working group that O'Malley set up and which recommended an after labor day start was a mass hallucination?!

Exactly. Every poll showed that Marylanders were 64-67% that wanted to move after Labor Day. This all started years ago, long before Hogan came in office. It was when a (gasp) Democrat was in office.

Of course. Who doesn't want something when they think they can get it for nothing? They can't get it for nothing, though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Easy solution: move the teacher "admin days" from during the school year to the summer.

The reason the union opposes it is that it cuts into the teachers' (paid) summer vacation.

Why is it good for all professional training to happen before the school year starts or after the school year ends?

What's wrong with that? I"m in private industry, and just about all our professional conferences are in the summer since people are too busy the rest of the year. Just about all industries seem to work fine with people being trained once a year, so surely teachers can handle it also.

As for having time to input grades and so on, indeed teachers may have to work more than an 8-hour day on those days... just like we do in private industry during busy times of year.

It was no issue for either teachers or parents untill Hogan's policy. Let's keep that in mind.

So those newspaper articles talking about how the majority of parents wanted the start of school pushed back were imaginary? The working group that O'Malley set up and which recommended an after labor day start was a mass hallucination?!

Exactly. Every poll showed that Marylanders were 64-67% that wanted to move after Labor Day. This all started years ago, long before Hogan came in office. It was when a (gasp) Democrat was in office.

I would love our BOE to focus on the number of sexual predator issues that has become a serious issue in our schools as opposed to spinning themselves up about the school calendar. Talk about missing the forest.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is this a ridiculous policy? I do 't get it.

Personally we love the longer summer. If you don't like it, then put your kid in an academic camp or something. It's nice to have that long break.

We always started after Labor Day when I was growing up in NY.

Because it's bad for kids' education to be out of school that long -- especially poor kids. Whose parents are not going to put them in an academic camp or something.

Oh, please. It's been discussed on here before. MCPS offers educational opportunities for poor/lower income students over the summer. Plus free meals at churches/some schools. It's perfectly fine for their (and all kids') education to have a little bit of a break.

Anonymous wrote:

+1. The reason this was sent out is that next year is the gubernatorial elections and MoCo hates that Maryland has a republican governor. I've been apart of MCPS for 8 years and have never received an email like the one we got today.
Having the tightened schedule this year has been glorious. We have actually had full weeks versus the bullshit 3-4 only for the first 2 months that usually happened. Keep it up Larry!

It was sent out so that nobody can complain, when the BoE adopts a calendar that takes away stuff people expect, that the BoE didn't tell them.

Anonymous wrote:Why is this a ridiculous policy? I do 't get it.

Personally we love the longer summer. If you don't like it, then put your kid in an academic camp or something. It's nice to have that long break.

We always started after Labor Day when I was growing up in NY.

Retention of academic learning is why it's a ridiculous policy. Studies show that longer summer breaks = less retention of learning. An equal number of shorter breaks throughout the school year = more retention. That is why some school districts go to "year round" school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry but its not ridiculous. We grew up in the midwest with harsh winters thus the occasional snow day and school started after labor day. The fix us the teachers and administrators dont need so many admin days.

I agree. The only thing that is ridiculous is that the BOE will never stop whining to the state and cry to public about "oh no, what should we do?" about every little thing. Just DO YOUR JOBS and get a calendar in place for next year. I honestly don't give a crap what days are off or not so long as we keep the summer long and the constant 3-4 day school weeks to a minimum. If I need to celebrate a holiday or take a vacation, my kids won't be in school those days. They have survived before and will survive next year too. And yes, I have a high schooler. It doesn't matter. Just make the f'ing calendar already.

This. I don't understand what the issue is here. I don't remember ever getting an email like this before bout planning the school calendar. Even those years when/after we used up the snow days. Why does this justify an email to every parent but the sexual predator incident at Richard Montgomery HS was not addressed by email??

Just set the calendar and move the f along.

Because the MCPS BOE's hidden agenda is to convince the families to complain to the state to get what the BOE wants. They did the same thing with the budget saying the state decreased it. It did not. It just wouldn't increase to the percentage MCPS wanted even though Montgomery County pays for 60% of the budget. If MC wants to keep building and taxing, THEY need to ask the country to increase, but it did not ask them to increase the same monetary increase of the state. They didn't mention that in their PR department. Just that "the state is cutting our budget and we will lose teachers!!" Not the stupid free parenting workshops, not the bloated administration, or their stupid PR department. Their immediate jerk reaction was to PR the potential lose of teachers so the parents would blast the state with emails.

How about the snow days 2 years ago? We were the only district that had a contingency plan we never attempted to use to make up snow days prior to the end of the year, and then ask the state for a waiver? Mind you the BOE was dumb enough to end the school year on a Friday too. When they said no, the BOE cried a river and PR went in an uproar asking parents to complain because the school year was moving into the following week. All along it is the stupid BOE that ended the school year on a Friday, didn't use their contingency plan, and wanted the state to waive 3 days. I was so glad the state told them to shove it. The only other county that asked was PG county and they already made up 1 day on a teacher day, was ending on a Thurs, were willing to make up another that Friday and the state waived the last day. You work with them, they work with you. MCPS BOE is just absolutely entitled, wastes tax payers money with this constant back and forth, meetings, multiple ideas, complaints etc...

This calendar will be another 2 months in the making. Wasting tax payers money one day at a time. Remember the millions wasted on a 2 year study that ended up being a 20min freaking change for the high schoolers and tier 2 ES schools coming off busses at 4:30pm. Ugh, don't even get me started.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry but its not ridiculous. We grew up in the midwest with harsh winters thus the occasional snow day and school started after labor day. The fix us the teachers and administrators dont need so many admin days.

I agree. The only thing that is ridiculous is that the BOE will never stop whining to the state and cry to public about "oh no, what should we do?" about every little thing. Just DO YOUR JOBS and get a calendar in place for next year. I honestly don't give a crap what days are off or not so long as we keep the summer long and the constant 3-4 day school weeks to a minimum. If I need to celebrate a holiday or take a vacation, my kids won't be in school those days. They have survived before and will survive next year too. And yes, I have a high schooler. It doesn't matter. Just make the f'ing calendar already.

This. I don't understand what the issue is here. I don't remember ever getting an email like this before bout planning the school calendar. Even those years when/after we used up the snow days. Why does this justify an email to every parent but the sexual predator incident at Richard Montgomery HS was not addressed by email??

Just set the calendar and move the f along.

+1. The reason this was sent out is that next year is the gubernatorial elections and MoCo hates that Maryland has a republican governor. I've been apart of MCPS for 8 years and have never received an email like the one we got today.
Having the tightened schedule this year has been glorious. We have actually had full weeks versus the bullshit 3-4 only for the first 2 months that usually happened. Keep it up Larry!

This. I think it's kind of gross that MCPS is sending out this email as some sort of political craziness. We've also been involved with MCPS for over a decade and have never had an email like this before. Kind or ridiculous.

Anonymous wrote:Why is this a ridiculous policy? I do 't get it.

Personally we love the longer summer. If you don't like it, then put your kid in an academic camp or something. It's nice to have that long break.

We always started after Labor Day when I was growing up in NY.

Because it's bad for kids' education to be out of school that long -- especially poor kids. Whose parents are not going to put them in an academic camp or something.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Easy solution: move the teacher "admin days" from during the school year to the summer.

The reason the union opposes it is that it cuts into the teachers' (paid) summer vacation.

Why is it good for all professional training to happen before the school year starts or after the school year ends?

What's wrong with that? I"m in private industry, and just about all our professional conferences are in the summer since people are too busy the rest of the year. Just about all industries seem to work fine with people being trained once a year, so surely teachers can handle it also.

As for having time to input grades and so on, indeed teachers may have to work more than an 8-hour day on those days... just like we do in private industry during busy times of year.

It was no issue for either teachers or parents untill Hogan's policy. Let's keep that in mind.

So those newspaper articles talking about how the majority of parents wanted the start of school pushed back were imaginary? The working group that O'Malley set up and which recommended an after labor day start was a mass hallucination?!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry but its not ridiculous. We grew up in the midwest with harsh winters thus the occasional snow day and school started after labor day. The fix us the teachers and administrators dont need so many admin days.

I agree. The only thing that is ridiculous is that the BOE will never stop whining to the state and cry to public about "oh no, what should we do?" about every little thing. Just DO YOUR JOBS and get a calendar in place for next year. I honestly don't give a crap what days are off or not so long as we keep the summer long and the constant 3-4 day school weeks to a minimum. If I need to celebrate a holiday or take a vacation, my kids won't be in school those days. They have survived before and will survive next year too. And yes, I have a high schooler. It doesn't matter. Just make the f'ing calendar already.

This. I don't understand what the issue is here. I don't remember ever getting an email like this before bout planning the school calendar. Even those years when/after we used up the snow days. Why does this justify an email to every parent but the sexual predator incident at Richard Montgomery HS was not addressed by email??

Just set the calendar and move the f along.

+1. The reason this was sent out is that next year is the gubernatorial elections and MoCo hates that Maryland has a republican governor. I've been apart of MCPS for 8 years and have never received an email like the one we got today.
Having the tightened schedule this year has been glorious. We have actually had full weeks versus the bullshit 3-4 only for the first 2 months that usually happened. Keep it up Larry!

Anonymous wrote:I have just commented on their site. I will be contacting appropriate representatives about reducing contact days to less than 180. I find 180 days too much, given how many schools, public and private learn more or just as much with less days. I am very happy with after the Labor Day start, but strongly opposed to less than a week of Spring Break. I will have my kid stay at home, if that is what it takes. I am also for shorter school days, you realize that MD has an average school day of 7 hours, well, 1 minute less. Longer than many US states? Why? My DD is having no teacher for 2 weeks in one of her classes, but she has "contact days?" We don't need 180 days of school. I wish I made my DD attend the private school like I wanted, but she was so stuck on our assigned public school since they have a great team for her sport.

What are you talking about?? One of my kids goes to Holton and they are in school from 8am to 3:35pm every day and optional (but very well attended) homework club is until 4:30pm until 8th grade. Most private schools have longer hours and more time for recess/art/culture/study halls. They aren't limited to the terrible bus stystem in an overcrowded district. We prefer the longer hours. You are crazy wanting shorter hours.