Montgomery County’s school board voted to start school after the Labor Day holiday, in keeping with a recent mandate from Gov. Larry Hogan. (Jeffrey MacMillan/For The Washington Post)
Montgomery County has settled the much-considered question of when school will begin next fall: Sept. 5, 2017, the Tuesday after Labor Day, in keeping with a recent mandate from Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
The school board unanimously approved start and end dates for 2017-2018 at its meeting Tuesday but did not decide on other details of next year’s calendar, so that district staff could have more time to work on it. The school year will end no later than June 15, 2018.
[One Md. school system grapples with state order to start school after Labor Day]
A vote is expected on a final calendar plan in December.
That plan would include details about spring break, snow make-up days and teacher professional days. Board members have said they will need to make trade-offs to go with a start date after Labor Day and still close the school year by June 15.
The board’s action follows Hogan’s (R) executive order, issued Aug. 31, requiring that public schools start after Labor Day and end by June 15.
[Montgomery County seeks waiver from Hogan order to start school after Labor Day]
In October, the Montgomery school board had voted to seek a waiver from that edict, hoping to start school on Aug. 28, a week before Labor Day, as it usually does.
But shortly after the board’s vote, Hogan amended his order, establishing criteria that made it nearly impossible for most school districts to qualify.