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Saturday, May 09, 2015

Legislators Discuss Failed Post-Labor Day School Bill; New Strategy Needed After Effort Called ‘A Very Heavy Lift’

OCEAN CITY — Despite failing to even get a committee hearing in either the Senate or the House, the bid for a state-mandated post-Labor Day start to the school year will continue.

At the Ocean City Economic Development Committee (EDC) meeting this week, Lower Shore legislators briefed resort business leaders on a variety of issues germane to the local area during the 2015 session including a proposed state-mandated post-Labor Day start to the public school year. The bills, cross-filed in the House by Delegate Mary Beth Carozza (R-38C) and Senate by Senator Jim Mathias (D-38), never got any traction during the session and failed to come before a committee vote in either chamber.

Disheartened but not dissuaded, the two Lower Shore legislators told the EDC this week the effort would continue in the 2016 session. Although a poll earlier this year showed parents and teachers across Maryland supported the proposed legislation, it turned out to be a tough sell in other areas around the state.
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

School officials think that starting earlier gives low-performing students five more days of instruction before the state tests in March. Other considerations do not matter.

Anonymous said...

As long as state testing is the same date for all Maryland students, starting after labor day will never get any support. Testing dictates everything that happens in public school. Wall street wants it that way. Most of the upper middle class parents send their children to private school to keep their children away from those who aren't of their economic status.