Yes - absolutely MCPS should close 4 days early... keep up with the rest of the counties in MD and also save Montgomery County some money that they constantly complain they don't have!

I don't think they should finish earlier. Four days of class is a good investment.

If the employees are willing to give up the five days of salary that they won't be working to the good of the budget, then fine. Otherwise, take the time to teach the kids something they don't know. Surely the list is long.

yes i think that the montgomery county public scjools should let out early since there been no snow days this year

They need as many days as they can get, as far as I'm concerned. I think teachers would agree- they're already pressed for time w/ fitting everything in!

Sure. It's all about cost savings. The standardized tests are over, and you wouldn't just want to learn for the joy of learning, right?

Personally I am all for the kids to stay in school. There is no harm to stay in school to learn, so what even if they need to stay in extra days?

Working parents could find themselves without care for their kids if school lets out a few days early; camps don't begin until the week after.

They should keep the schedule and have them stay until the end. I'm in favor of a year round school calendar anyway. The original format was to accommodate agriculture. The big gap of summer and the intensity of how subjects have to be crammed into basically 9 months is hard for teachers and students.

What does their union contract say? The decision should be based on that.

The school calendar is built around the instructional days and extended if there are days to be make up ( see the MCPS web page). Those of you you comment clearly don't have kids in high school - they have exams at the end of the year and can use the days before the exams to study.
if you want to compare with some other successful school systems ( many of them in Europe) - elementary/middle schools and high schools don't have the same closing time schedules!

They should at least end school the Friday before. We all know the last few days are coloring, movie days, or whatever so the teachers can prep for the end of the school year as well. Why go to school on Monday and Tuesday, my bet is that there would not be any instruction or assignments anyway. I am for the last day being Friday.

I believe MCPS should "set" the standard, not follow the standard (by closing simply because neighboring districts are). I fully support the students remaining in school the FULL year. A few extra days of instructional time (used wisely) can only benefit our student population.

Let them out. You add days if there are too many snow days, give the kids a break and let them out a little early since you can. Even one or two days will make the kiddies happy!

Isn't Montgomery county one of the top counties in the nation? Let's stay there and keep the kids learning as long as possible. Granted if they will be in class but not learning then let them out early but every day of instruction is a day of knowledge banked for a later day.

In my experience, once exams are over, the curriculum for the year has been taught, and lots of movies are being watched at school. However, closing the schools early might pose some real difficulties for working families with small children.

So much to learn, so little time. Yes use the days. We are behind in science and math. Our children need more in those arras.

Speaking as a teacher who is about to retire: four more days won't kill me.

Closing schools early because the snow days weren't used is ridiculous. Presumably everyone will be paid regardless of whether the students are in school; closing early will save little, if any money. The kids need all the instruction time they can get.

In snowy years when there aren't enough snow days, we usually get a waiver on the minimum number of instruction days. When we can easily teach for more than the minimum number of days we should do so.

By the way, isn't there an irony here. In a year in which budget for education is being mandated as more important than any other government service -- so important that the state will raid county funds for other services and override legal limits on taxation -- some are advocating teaching kids fewer days than we can! Apparently education is paramount when it comes to the budget but not when it comes to actually teaching kids.

I understand about families and daycare issues but school should not be in place of or considered like daycare. MOCO does not need to be a follower of other counties but they do need to follow contracts and be smart about their school calendar. PG is getting out early because they do not have built-in snow days, only add at the end if there is snow cancelation. They have 184 school days too. MC will now have 188. The state is proposing cutting another $50 million from the budget again. Teachers haven't had a raise in 3 years. Maybe compromising by ending on Friday is best like another person suggested.

NO, They should be in school longer throughout the year anyway. They do not need any extra days off. For what, an idol mind is a dangerous place. I vote for 284 days of school.

Set them free! Let my people go!

I think they should keep the schools opened and not close the 4 days early. There are exam schedules, graduations/promotions and other end of the year activities that are already on the schedules and at this point changing them would create more work and be less productive. In addition with a lot of families not having childcare plans or summer camps available it could pose a real problem for working parents which are most of us at this point.

With 80% of kids that graduate from MCPS having to take REMEDIAL classes if they attend college, with no credit for remedial classes. With the majority of them who don't even know how to study, I feel they need to be in school all year. Oh wait, the UNIONS won't go for that...you know, they ones that add to the taxpayers cost.

Please cite a source for the 80% comment. Montgomery College says 40% of freshmen need remedial math. That's the only figure I've heard.

A MCPS Guidance Counselor...and I do not name names. Don't forget the others that need remedial english and science.

The remedial math statistic is true. When my straight A child went to a private school this year, he had to play catch up in math because MOCO only scratched the surface with the material.

Absolutely, MCPS should end their last school day on the 180th school day as is required by law. As an MCPS teacher, by the end of the school year all curriculum has been met and standardized tests have been completed. Those four days cost extra money for the county.

No. More days in school can only benefit the kids. And most camps wouldn't be open if mcps ended earlier.

Absolutely end the school year early. Teachers are paid for 184 days regardless of whether or not schools are closed due to inclement weather. If snow days had occurred, the staff members would have been paid anyway, so why consider docking their pay if the year ends early? The children need the break just as much as staff members! And really, how many schools are teaching all the way up until the last day? Report card grades in MCPS are due before June 12, so the students are no longer being graded. Field trips, field days, assemblies, class parties, and graduations are taking place the last two weeks of school, so instruction is not taking place as it would during the rest of the year. End the school year early!

Maybe,

But please let us celebrate the Columbus Weekend Holiday starting this October.

One of my teachers told me we will have 3-5 days to just sit and talk. What is the point of that if we could just be enjoying ourselves and living our lives. What people tend to forget is that kids need social time too and that we want to relax after a long year of work. So we get out a few days early, everyone relaxes, teachers still get their paychecks and the school system saves some money. They always complain they absolutely need more and now they are openly rejecting it. Get the money, make life easier, let us have out early.

Why deprive our students of four days of instruction? Complete the school year as planned.

Fairfax public schools just announced they are closing four days early. Fairfax is one of the best school systems in the country, on par with Montgomery. I say close four days early.

Its not a reward. Keep them in school until June 15th.

Here's Patch coverage of the Fairfax County school board's Thursday decision to shorten the school year: http://oakton.patch.com/articles/school-board-approves-shortened-school-year

If they closed the Friday before the kids would lose 1.5 days of signing yearbooks, helping teachers pack up classrooms, and busy work not instructional time. I think in many families it would just be finding child care for that Monday. Most families would have already made plans for the 1/2 day Tuesday. Teachers would still be in the buildings those days and in-school day care options would still be open.