Preference of Calendar A, B or C Sought Before Board's First Vote on March 10
The Wicomico County Board of Education is seeking input as it builds a calendar for the 2015-2016 school year. Three different draft calendars showing pre- and post-Labor Day starts have been drafted in order to gather feedback prior to Board votes at the March 10 and April 14 Board meetings.
The three draft calendars, along with a side-by-side comparison of dates in the three calendars, may be accessed from the www.wcboe.org home page by clicking on the Calendar Input button, or by visiting this link:
Calendar A would begin school on Monday, Aug. 24, and end the year on Monday, June 6.
Calendar B would begin school on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and end the year on Monday, June 20.
Calendar C would begin school on Monday, Aug. 31, and end the year on Thursday, June 9.
Please share your draft calendar preference and any other comments or suggestions as soon as possible by contacting either comments@wcboe.org or 410-677-5251. The Board is expected to discuss the 2015-2016 school calendar at its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. on March 10. The Board is tentatively scheduled to have a 1st reading in March and 2nd and final reading at the April 14 Board meeting.
Wicomico has started school in late August for a number of years to give students as much instructional time as possible before the start of testing. However, there is ongoing discussion at the state level about potentially mandating a post-Labor Day start for all Maryland school systems. (Currently each school system determines its own starting date; Worcester County this year chose to start school after Labor Day based on community input.)
With that discussion in mind, three 2015-2016 draft calendars have been prepared for Wicomico Schools. Two of these calendars would start school prior to Labor Day, and one would start school the day after Labor Day. Calendar A would begin Aug. 24 and end on June 6. Calendar B would start the school year Sept. 8, after Labor Day, and end on June 20. The newly added Calendar C option would begin school on Aug. 31 and end it on June 9.
Please note that the draft 2015-2016 school calendars take into account the following:
- The school calendar must include a minimum of 180 days of instruction.
- Families and staff members have consistently supported two full weeks off for the winter break, whenever possible; all three draft calendars currently provide that.
- Wicomico teachers, by contract, work 190 days. The 10 days that teachers do not have students are professional development days or record management days. Four of the 10 days take place prior to the opening of the school year, and one day is scheduled for teachers after students leave for the summer.
- Schools must be closed at the following times, in accordance with COMAR (Code of Maryland): Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, from Dec. 24 through Jan. 1, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, Presidents Day, Good Friday, the Monday after Easter, and Memorial Day. Additionally, Wicomico schools must be closed when there is a Primary or General Election; a Presidential Primary Election is currently scheduled for Tuesday, April 5.
- Makeup days, if needed, will be scheduled in accordance with Board of Education policy. Makeup days may occur on professional days, on a holiday break day, or at the end of the school year, or by requesting a state waiver for some missed days.
13 comments:
Calendar D - year round schooling!
There is a layer of bureaucracy between comments received at the central office and comments shared with the board of ed. members.
Interesting that a new plan has been introduced and will be voted on March 10th - but a 3rd option was never presented. The original online survey never asked about a third option. I like it, but I find it interesting.
With all of the snow days we have had this year - wouldn't everyone think starting early would be better rather than later??
The schools need to change from 180 days to completing hours (Like Delmar). Wicomico meets the hours but is always inn trouble and finding ways to meet the 180 days. Hours just seem easier.
Yes, I vote for year round, also.
Directly from COMAR...
13A.03.02.12
A. Length of School Year. Maryland public high schools shall be open for at least 180 school days and a minimum of 1,170 school hours during a 10-month period in each school year.
Currently, High Schools are open for 7 hours of instructional time which is well over the 1170 hours. (HS..7:45-2:45)
COMAR needs to change to say 180 days OR 1170 hours. That way, local BOE's could lengthen the school day by 15 minutes or more after January 1 to make up the hours missed.
This is what other states are doing now like Virginia.
3 wrong choices.
Memorial day to Labor day, PD days in summer or online courses, adjust holidays accordingly, period.
Quit being stupid.
Anonymous said...
Interesting that a new plan has been introduced and will be voted on March 10th - but a 3rd option was never presented. The original online survey never asked about a third option. I like it, but I find it interesting.
March 6, 2015 at 4:23 PM
You are correct!
Anonymous said...
The schools need to change from 180 days to completing hours (Like Delmar). Wicomico meets the hours but is always inn trouble and finding ways to meet the 180 days. Hours just seem easier.
March 6, 2015 at 4:47 PM
The BOE has the option to do 180 days or 1080 hours. I say go back to 170 days like private schools in Maryland and do away with the Professional Days during the school year and we may be able to end before Memorial Day and start the day after Labor Day.
Anonymous said...
Yes, I vote for year round, also.
March 6, 2015 at 5:53 PM
Why would you do that? Idiot!!
Anonymous said...
Directly from COMAR...
13A.03.02.12
A. Length of School Year. Maryland public high schools shall be open for at least 180 school days and a minimum of 1,170 school hours during a 10-month period in each school year.
Currently, High Schools are open for 7 hours of instructional time which is well over the 1170 hours. (HS..7:45-2:45)
COMAR needs to change to say 180 days OR 1170 hours. That way, local BOE's could lengthen the school day by 15 minutes or more after January 1 to make up the hours missed.
This is what other states are doing now like Virginia.
March 6, 2015 at 6:13 PM
I read it as 180 days or 1,080 hours. Either way it should be go back to 170 days or appropriate hours, extend the day by .5 or 1 hour, do away with 10 professional days throughout the year and you can do the Post Labor Day start.
Steve said...
3 wrong choices.
Memorial day to Labor day, PD days in summer or online courses, adjust holidays accordingly, period.
Quit being stupid.
March 6, 2015 at 11:41 PM
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