Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS) is collecting feedback on the proposed 2026-27 school year calendar. The feedback collected will be provided to the Garrett County Board of Education (GCBOE) members. The calendar and feedback form may be found under the “Calendars” tab on the Public Relations page of the website: www.gcps.net/calendars.
For the 2026-27 calendar, the Calendar Committee has recommended a pre-Labor Day start of August 31, 2026, with a scheduled end date of June 3, 2027. There are nine (9) Professional Development Days built into the calendar, one per month beginning in September and running through May. There are three make-up days built into the calendar, but if necessary, additional days will be added at the end of the school year. Of note, MD Statute §7–103.2 requires school systems to utilize the make-up days built into the calendar before implementing Virtual Learning. Therefore, based on the proposed calendar, GCPS must have three (3) traditional inclement weather days before a virtual learning day may be implemented.
Additionally, the Calendar Committee recommends adopting a standard practice for determining whether the annual school calendar will begin before or after Labor Day. Under this recommendation, September 5th will serve as the official marker:
- If Labor Day falls before September 5th, the committee will create a post–Labor Day calendar.
- If Labor Day falls on or after September 5th, the committee will create a pre–Labor Day calendar.
Please review the calendar in its entirety before providing feedback. All information collected will be shared with the Board and posted to BoardDocs under the January 13, 2026, meeting agenda item. Please use the Google Form to provide feedback on the calendar selections you believe are in students’ best interests. Written comments may also be submitted via mail or by email to the following address:
Garrett County Public Schools
Attn: Public Relations Office
770 Dennett Road
Oakland, MD 21550
public.info@gcps.net
Feedback will be accepted through Thursday, January 1, 2026. The Board will review each comment before voting on the calendar at the January 13, 2026, Board Meeting.
