Larry Hogan has recently signed an executive order that effectively forces all Maryland school systems to start on Labor Day, and still end by June 15th. While most students are likely ecstatic for the opportunity to have a few extra days of summer vacation, considering both the overall effect and context of this decision might leave a bad taste in their mouths.

One big “draw” of this plan is that students will have some well earned time off from all their work during the school year. However, one component of this plan is that while the overall length of the school year will be shortened, the mandatory minimum of school days remains unchanged. This means that while students might get a few more weeks of summer, they will pay it back in full during the actual school year, when most could actually use the break. Something has to give–religious holidays and necessary teacher grading days, or maybe even portions of Winter or Spring Break, may now be spent bent over desks.

This is not what we need as students. By the end of August we won’t feel the need for the extra days, yet when we need the break most, instead there will be endless stretches of five-day school weeks.

Beyond how students feel, it has been shown that longer summer vacations can seriously hinder learning, especially for students without the means to participate in summer enrichment programs. But Larry Hogan doesn’t care about that. He doesn’t care about the fact that this only makes it harder for teachers to prepare their students for rigorous standardized tests, such as AP or IB.

This move has nothing to do with his claimed intense care for education. All he’s doing is scratching the back of his voting base at the cost of those who don’t support his candidacy.

The governor has gone on record stating that one of the reasons he made this move is to encourage spending at tourist locations at the Eastern Shore. So in order to give aid to the poor Candy Kitchens on the Boardwalk, he decided to force parents to find ways to give their kids something to do, possibly expensive camps, day care, or staying home from work. This may be perfectly affordable for Hogan’s more well-off supporters, but it could be back-breaking for others.

As a liberal, I am quite understanding of high levels of regulation from the government, yet baseless, poorly thought out, and possibly out-of-bounds decisions like these give me a greater understanding of conservative critiques on “big government.”

In short, not only is this an all-round bad decision by itself, but in context, what this reveals about Hogan’s use of power is frightening.