Letter to the Editor: Furloughs, Inclement Weather Closings, Title I Schools

By Candace Hollingsworth, a Hyattsville resident, parent and member of the PTA.

I can predict with almost 100 percent certainty whether or not will be open or delayed based on a friend’s Facebook status updates.

At 11 p.m. Monday night she wrote, “I just got in [because] those roads are icy, and I slid a couple of times.”

She lives in Upper Marlboro. After reading it I made a mental note to check the status before corralling my kids out of bed at 6 a.m. the next morning. Lo and behold, PGCPS were closed. 

I understand that the decision to close schools has to be made with careful consideration for the safety of all students across the county and to ensure equitable access to instructional time. I get it, but it’s time for the school board to reconsider the application of this procedure. 

In a Jan. 20 article in the Gazette, PGCPS [former] spokeswoman Tanzi Barbour indicated that decisions to adjust the school schedule are made based in most part by weather forecasts, but that they also consider the actual conditions of the roads, sidewalks, entryways and check with neighboring school districts.  This morning, schools in [Washington,] D.C., Montgomery, Charles, and Calvert counties are on a two hour delay. Schools in Anne Arundel, Howard, and Prince George’s counties, however, are closed. 

Our county is large and spans across all of the regions mentioned above. With such disparity even in our neighboring school districts, it seems logical that PGCPS is well-positioned to make the case for adjusting its operational calendar.

If our size and geographic location are not enough, consider that 70 percent of Title I schools in PGCPS are located in districts 1-4.  School closings, delays and early dismissals can have significant negative downstream effects on low-income families.

Academically, the lack of sustained classroom instruction time diminishes teachers’ efforts to raise achievement levels.

Hourly employees, who arrive late, leave early, or “call in” every ninth day, risk the possibility of having a job on the tenth day. If they are the sole provider, the impact is intensified. 

Luckily, I am self-employed and work from home so the delayed openings, early dismissals and closings do not impact my work life as much. If my husband and I both worked outside of the home, or if either of us were an employed single parent, we would have to become master schedule jugglers. Schools and teachers are not daycares and babysitters to our children, but the reality is that for some they serve that purpose as well.   

Our worst case scenario is the usual for many of our friends and neighbors. Up to now, my frustrations with school scheduling have been purely anecdotal, but our realities beg the school board to consider two separate operating calendars for PGCPS districts 1-4 (Hyattsville, College Park, Laurel, Greenbelt, Mount Rainier, Bladensburg, etc.) and 5-9 (Bowie, Upper Marlboro, Temple Hills, Capitol Heights, Seat Pleasant, etc.).

In these tough economic times with a strained education budget including furlough days and the threat of more budget cuts to come, our students need as much class time as possible.  As of today, our students have had more than 10 days of uninterrupted school on only three occasions for a total of 36 days. Students in Montgomery County, for example, have had 53 total days across three instances of more than 10 days of uninterrupted instruction (22, 19, and 12 respectively). This is but one attribute that helps make MCPS one of the top-performing school districts in the state.  I want our schools in PGCPS to take the reins.

My son loves going to school and is disappointed when he cannot. It is equally frustrating for parents and some teachers. We have an obligation to make every effort to ensure that our children receive the best education possible and it starts by being present.