City Schools proposes 2025–26 calendar with added wellness and predictable PD Fridays; board to vote Feb. 25

Baltimore City Public Schools presented a proposed school-year calendar for 2025–26 at the Feb. 11 board meeting and staff said the board will vote on the recommendation at an off-site meeting Feb. 25.

Deputy Chief Academic Officer Taisha Swinton-Buck and Simon Berenbaum (director of grading, assessment and scheduling) described a calendar designed to prioritize uninterrupted instruction, scheduled professional learning (PL) and predictable wellness days for families. The proposal keeps the state-required minimum of 180 instructional days and remains guided by contractual agreements for professional-learning and workdays.

Key elements of the proposed 2025–26 calendar presented to the board: - Start and end dates: Staff proposed a first-day-of-school return date the Monday before Labor Day (district example year: Aug. 25) and a last day of school of Tuesday, June 9 if no inclement weather days are used; supplemental make-up days would conclude by Friday, June 12 if needed. - Professional learning and wellness: The proposal reduces pre-service PL to four days (instead of five) and adds one district-led PL day during the school year, which students experience as a wellness day. District-led PD days will be scheduled on the first Friday of several months to give families predictable notice. - Wellness day: The district proposed keeping the day before Thanksgiving as a wellness day to extend the holiday break. - Early-release days: Staff proposed keeping five early-release days total (one fall parent-teacher conference day and four early-release quarter-end days) to give teachers dedicated time for grading and administrative tasks. - Inclement-weather policy: The proposal preserves three in-person inclement-weather make-up days; if the district exceeds three, additional days would be virtual (pending MSDE approval, as staff noted MSDE previously approved the same arrangement).

Religious observance guidance and community input: Staff recommended continuing current practices around religious observance days but improving communications and planning. Recommendations included publishing observance days in assessment calendars, reminding school leaders and teachers proactively about observance dates, consulting local faith leaders on the timing of Muslim holidays (which can depend on local sighting), and updating field-trip forms to exclude observance days.

Public and board concerns: Commissioner Mohammed and other board members pressed staff on outreach to faith-based and community groups, noting that in prior calendar discussions the Muslim community had organized public comment and asked for additional accommodation. Mohammed said a recognized group that had requested Eid observance as a school closure had not been fully re-engaged; staff responded they had held faith-leader sessions and additional community outreach and offered to schedule further conversations before the Feb. 25 vote. Staff also presented attendance data showing only modest dips for Yom Kippur and Eid al-Fitr in the weeks analyzed; staff cautioned typical Monday/Friday attendance dips complicate interpretation.

Next steps and board options: Staff framed this meeting as information and discussion. The board may vote to accept, reject or amend the CEO’s recommendation at the Feb. 25 meeting. Staff committed to re-opening asynchronous feedback if needed, to follow up with recognized community groups and to provide additional data on attendance patterns for early-release days if the board requests it.

Speakers (presentation and Q&A): - Dr. Taisha Swinton-Buck, Deputy Chief Academic Officer, Baltimore City Public Schools - Simon Berenbaum, Director of Grading, Assessment and Scheduling, Baltimore City Public Schools - Commissioner Mohammed (raised community engagement and recognized-group concerns)

Clarifying details: - State requirement: Minimum 180 instructional days and 1,080 hours per school year; teacher contract includes up to 10 systemwide PD days (counted in workdays). - Proposed contract-aligned PD scheduling: District-led PD days scheduled on the first Friday of specified months to provide predictable intervals for families. - Religious-observance practice: Staff recommended continuing current excused-absence and accommodation practice, but to improve proactive communication and consultation with faith leaders and to publish observance days in planning calendars.

Provenance: Presentation and discussion on the calendar began at 5129.1147 (introduction) and discussion continued through Commissioner Mohammed’s remarks beginning at 7033.085; the board will vote Feb. 25.

Ending: Staff requested the board consider the calendar recommendation on Feb. 25 and said additional stakeholder engagement and data could be supplied before that vote. Board members asked for more outreach to recognized community groups, additional attendance data, and clarification about how holidays intersect with board meeting schedules.