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Published February 27, 2026 at 7:12AM
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Updated February 27, 2026 at 9:34PM
Crews working to clear ”snowcrete” from Muddy Branch Rd. in Gaithersburg, courtesy Morgan Duffy
An update from Del. Anne Kaiser indicates that legislation aimed at preventing an extension of the Montgomery County Public Schools calendar has cleared a major hurdle in Annapolis.
Earlier this week, the Maryland House of Delegates voted unanimously in favor of legislation that would allow Montgomery County to avoid extending the school year by an additional week to make up for weather-related closures. The measure now moves to the Maryland State Senate, where it must pass in identical form before it can be sent to the Governor for consideration.
According to Kaiser, the bill was amended to be treated as emergency legislation. If signed into law, it would take effect immediately and apply to the current school year. She emphasized that under the legislation, the previously announced extension of the school year to June [26] would no longer be necessary.
The bill has already received preliminary support from all nine state senators representing Montgomery County. The next step is a public hearing in the Senate’s Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee, which includes several legislators who represent Montgomery County and nearby areas.
As previously reported, the legislation would allow the Montgomery County Board of Education to meet state requirements by operating schools for either a minimum number of instructional days or a minimum number of instructional hours, rather than being required to satisfy both. MCPS has stated that it already meets the state’s instructional hour requirement, which would eliminate the need to add days to the calendar if the bill becomes law.
The legislation was introduced after the Maryland State Department of Education denied MCPS’ request for a waiver following multiple snow-related closures earlier this winter, prompting the district to add an extra day to the end of the school year.
