OCEAN CITY Local tourism of-
ficials will discuss the benefits of
having schools open after Labor
Day with the Worcester County
Public Schools superintendent next
month.
During last Monday afternoon's
Tourism Commission meeting, Mi-
chael James, Carousel Hotel and
Resort managing partner and
Ocean City Economic Development
Committee (EDC) chairman, report-
ed the EDC will be meeting in Feb-
ruary with Superintendent of Wor-
cester County Public Schools Dr.
Jerry B. Wilson.
The commission is interested in
what the superintendent's official
opinion is over the current proposed
legislation to have Maryland public
schools start the school year after
Labor Day, but it's not a secret most
school officials opposed a shift in
the calendar, according to one rank-
ing tourism official.
"Every superintendent is against
it," said Greg Shockley, chairman of
the Maryland Tourism Development
Board and serves on the task force
considering starting the school year
after Labor Day. "They are a very
stubborn group of people. ... They
won't budge, and if they got what
they wanted school would be in ses-
sion year-round. We have gotten a
lot of grief from the superintendents
that if it is so important to Worcester
County why don't we start post-La-
bor Day."
Maryland state school districts
have the option to start school after
Labor Day but none currently do.
State school districts must have 180
days of instruction and include cer-
tain holidays on the school calen-
dar. "They want their hands on kids
as many days as possible," Shock-
ley said. "They don't understand the
shift ... just move the days. They
feel their system is working in the
right direction and tinkering in mov-
ing the start date post-Labor Day
will undue something ... their ulti-
mate argument is it will affect the
children ... we have no desire to af-
fect the children."
Mayor Rick Meehan asked for
the matter to be discussed with Wil-
son during the EDC meeting.
"If you don't say anything, we
have said nothing ...," Meehan said.
Shockley listed a number of
elected officials who are in support
of the proposed legislation, such as
Sen. Jim Mathias and Delegate
Anne Healey.
"We have the votes to do it, so it
is going to happen," he said.
At the next meeting in February,
the task force will reportedly provide
additional opportunity for public tes-
timony and will vote again to for-
ward a favorable recommendation
to the governor.
Tourism Officials
To Discuss School
Start With Super
Page 8
January 24, 2014
The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch
By JOANNE SHRINER
STAFF WRITER