Worcester County Public Schools will start before Labor Day this fall, and professional development days will be staggered, per the recently approved 2026-2027 school year calendar.
At the Worcester County Board of Education’s meeting this week, the body heard from WCPS Coordinator of Public Relations Carrie Sterrs, who presented the recommended schedule for the upcoming school year.
Most notably, the calendar has students getting their backpacks ready a little early this year. The official first day of school is set for Monday, Aug. 31, a move that deviates from the educational system’s traditional post-Labor Day start.
Sterrs said the decision to push up the first day of school is based on the fact that the end-of-summer holiday falls abnormally late in 2026. Labor Day is Sept. 7 this year. A Sept. 8 back-to-school is just not feasible, leaders say.
WCPS Superintendent Annette Wallace said that she and Board of Education President Todd Ferrante “had a lot of conversations” about a pre-Labor Day start, and what the logistics of that would look like. Part of that process, Wallace said, was speaking with Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan, as numerous older students — and some teachers and staff — work at the resort’s businesses during the tourist season.
The change will allow for time off elsewhere in the calendar.
What became of the investigation into the board of education? They sure shut that down pretty quickly.
It’s just wrong for schools to open before Labor Day !! However back in the day, we used to go to school with six inches of snow on the ground. Kids are soft now and need all the guidance they can get. Lol
the dept of uneducation knows what is best for those little angels