Our first week this year, second week next year

It is the week before Labor Day, and Maryland Public Schools open their doors to welcome their students. However, it will be the last year like this. For the academic calendar of 2017-2018, the doors will open to welcome students a week later, as was mandated by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan on August 31, 2016, when Governor Hogan signed an Executive Order requiring Maryland Public Schools to start after Labor Day. Starting schools post-Labor Day is said to benefit the economy and other aspects, but how will it impact the school, faculty, and students? The mandate requires schools to still complete 180 school days and end by June 15, all while starting after Labor Day.¹ This means that in the 2017-2018 Academic Calendar, schools will start a week later, be required to have the same number of schools days as this year, and still end by mid-June. Due to the requirements of this mandate, there are various opinions about it. There are concerns from students about not only how much time they will have off over summer, but the time that they will have off throughout the year. Some view the new school calendar as simply positive and believe that it should have happened sooner. Senior Elizabeth Beaton said that “They should have made [the] change sooner [be]cause summer always seemed too short, and the school year is so long. They should have it where we have less random days off throughout the year so that we can get out sooner and start later.” However, some view this requirement as negative, believing that “days are going to be taken off of Winter or Spring Break so that students can be out by June 15^th (Abbey Clements, ’17).” Depending on what days off you think will be removed from the calendar may influence how you view the mandate. This Executive Order does not just influence the school, but also aspects of the public. The decision to start after Labor Day has been justified by various reasons, as mentioned in the Governor’s Press Release. These justifications include that starting after Labor Day benefits the family, the economy, and public safety. According to a 2013 economic impact study conducted by Maryland’s Bureau of Revenue Estimates, starting school post-Labor day could stimulate $74.3 million in direct economic activity, including $3.7 million in new wages and $7.7 million in state and local tax revenue. Another justification for starting schools post-Labor Day is that it has received significant support in a Maryland poll conducted by Goucher College in 2014 and 2015. It showed that 72% of people supported schools starting after Labor Day, while 19% opposed the idea. The individuals being surveyed and from whom this data is gathered were over the age of 18 and were randomly chosen to be surveyed using random digit dialing of landline and cellular phone numbers from a sample of various groups. After the sample was randomly chosen, the individuals were then surveyed using Voxco Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) software, and the interviews were conducted by a staff of trained, paid student interviewers, who attempt to reach the respondent for a maximum of five times.² Starting post-Labor day has its benefits to the economy and public, and it was supported by a majority of the adults surveyed by Goucher College, but it does cause some friction inside the school due to it potentially decreasing the number of days off throughout the school year. It does increase the number of summer days, however, so as the next school year approaches, it will be approaching one week later.   Works Cited:

1. “Governor Larry Hogan Signs Executive Order to Start School after Labor Day.” The Office of Governor Larry Hogan. Maryland.gov, 31 Aug. 2016. Web. 02 Sept. 2016.
2. “Survey Methodology.” : Goucher College. Goucher College, n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2016.