Caroline Tucker
WMAL.com
ANNAPOLIS– (WMAL) On Wednesday, the school board in Anne Arundel County will vote on changing the school calendar.
The good news — proposed changes will mean a longer summer break for students.
The bad news — the plan calls for trimming back spring break, Christmas break, and reducing the number of built-in “snow” days.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan issued two executive orders which mandate that schools start after Labor Day and end by June 15th.
Bob Mosier, a spokesperson for Anne Arundel County Public Schools says they didn’t have much wiggle room in order to follow the new rules.
“We have done it this way with the help of our calendar committee,” Mosier said. “The calendar committee consists of parents, students, teachers, and representatives of our employee bargaining units, and key personnel throughout the system.”
Under the proposal, the school calendar would end on June 15, 2018. It would also cut three days from spring break, reduce the number of days for bad weather, and remove one day from the winter holiday break.
Mosier says most parent feedback has been regarding cuts to spring break and bad weather.
“Not a surprise to us certainly. Those would be key topics of discussion but you are looking at a calendar that you have to develop within a defined beginning and a defined end and you don’t have a lot of wiggle room and luxuries to make some decisions. That’s not a complaint, that is just the reality of the situation,” said Mosier.
Hogan, however, is not pleased with the reduction on mid-year breaks.
“Starting school after Labor Day is a common sense move that Maryland families clearly want and deserve,” the governor’s press secretary, Hannah Marr, said. “While we are pleased that Anne Arundel County is complying with the governor’s executive order, it is disappointing – and misleading – that the school board is opting to reduce spring break when the proposed calendar includes a dozen full or partial union service days. This is yet another example of out-of-touch bureaucrats choosing to please teacher’s union operatives instead of putting students and parents first.”
The Anne Arundel County Public Schools Board of Education is set to vote on the proposed calendar at its meeting set for Wednesday at 10 am.
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