Is Cobb Heard on School Calendar?
With another board vote on the issue coming up, a petition to change the current traditional calendar has been started online.
Let's go back to June 2011.
Cobb schools board member David Banks puts a proposal before the Board of Education. It's a compromise calendar proposal, one that seeks to combine elements from both the "traditional" and the "balanced" calendars.
Banks openly encourages the community to email the board with their opinions leading up to the vote. Ever wonder what became of that?
First, let's go back even further. It's January 2011, and word is out that the newly elected board members may overturn the three-year balanced calendar plan. The board got emails back then, too. Board members Banks, Lynnda Crowder-Eagle and David Morgan all gave public reports about the emails they received.
Banks said he received more than 1,200 emails with 72 percent in favor of the balanced calendar. Eagle said her emails were 2.5 to 1 (or 70 percent) in favor. Morgan said that input from his constituents was 3 of 4 (or 75 percent) in favor.
Later, it would be learned how many emails the other board members had received and how many were in favor of the balanced calendar. Board Chair Alison Bartlett's 1,200 emails were 78 percent in favor of the balanced calendar. Almost 1,400 emails were sent to Kathleen Angelucci with 77 percent in favor. Tim Stultz received some 1,300 emails with 80 percent in favor. Slightly more than 1,000 went to Scott Sweeney with 76 percent in favor.
Overall, that's an average of 77 percent in favor of the balanced calendar.
Then, it's February 2011, and the calendar survey is launched. There are attempts to sabotage the survey, but the district identifies and eliminates the fraudulent responses. In the final tally, 72 percent are in favor of the balanced calendar.
Those were very similar results. Between the emails and the survey, it's about 75 percent in favor overall.
Now return to June 2011. If Banks' compromise calendar proposal were to be approved, there would be only six weeks to go before the school year began. If about 75 percent were in favor back in February, how many would you think would still be in favor in June—especially with so little time left to make a change?
It's a surprising figure—72 percent is much higher than you'd think. But 72 percent is what it was; 72 percent of those that sent their input to the board were in favor of Banks' compromise calendar; and 72 percent asked their board member vote "yes" on June 23.
Many of those that asked the board to vote "no" simply said that Banks' proposal had come too late. Six weeks before school started was not the time to change the calendar. Still, they went on to express a clear preference for the balanced calendar and asked the board to reinstate it next year.
That's just what the board is being asked to do now. Emails have been going to the board yet again. A petition for a balanced calendar in Cobb schools has been started at http://www.petitions24.com/ccsd_balanced_calendar.
Another proposal to reinstate the balanced calendar will go before the board this Wednesday in their Jan. 18 morning work session.
It's expected that the board will vote on that proposal in their full session on Jan. 26. Will community input play a role in their decision this time?
Thom Gray of Acworth is a Cobb County School District parent who is involved in the pro-balanced-calendar group Cobb Parents.
Mary willett
3:47 pm on Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Our opinion did not count the first two times therefore I cannot imagine why it will now?!!
Kim
8:02 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
I've said before and I'll say again the best thing to do at this point (the boards not going to listen) is to REMEMBER @ election time!! Maybe if only half the 95% that never vote in the school board turned out we could get someone who cares what over SEVENTY percent of the community wants...what arrogance!
A proud member of the GOP
7:46 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Imagine a world in which conservative candidates for public office actually votes for issues that he/she actually campaigned on.
The liberals and their campaign to implement year round school was stopped in its tracks. The rejection of "Balanced calendar? (code word for year round school) has the liberal Obama supporters more than just a little angry. Check out the NEA and Obama's Secretary of Education (Duncan) views on year round schools to confirm these facts.
Mo Walker
6:42 am on Thursday, January 19, 2012
Can we just stop the political spin? I am offended that you think the those parents, students, teachers and other voters who believe that the balanced calendar is a better idea than the traditional are all liberals. Just because you site the NEA and the Obama Administration doesn't mean that they are the only ones looking at this.
First of all, year-round school calendars has been enacted in the United States since the year 1900. Many of the modern year-round schools are located in Texas and were endorsed by the most conservative administrations int he United States.
Secondly, what we want isn't Year-Round schooling. Year-Round schooling is a movement to INCREASE the number of days on the school calendar. That's not what the balanced calendar is about because we're talking about the same amount of days as the traditional calendar. What we are looking for is a calendar that allows those breaks. What those breaks does is gives working families the ability to take time off. They can take advantage of lower rates on vacations. They can have the ability to find time to relax with their families during off-peak times and re-charge.
Is that a liberal issue? Wanting to spend quality time with your families during times when your dollars go farther makes you, somehow, a liberal Obama supporter? Really? So in order to have good, conservative values, you must be for families vacationing only during June-August and spend peak-money for it.
Susan
5:26 pm on Thursday, January 19, 2012
After looking at the the Democrat platforms for the last 25 years, I have concluded it is a liberal/Democrat and their best friend (NEA) agenda. Year round school (also known as the balanced calendar), is not an increase in the number of instructional days. Instead, it is just the federal government and local liberals trying to insist we accept their ideas on summer.
Per your statement about lower rates for vacation times, Now I believe a liberal has finally pointed to the great big elephant in the room. It really is not about student achievement after all, just a desire to make everyone follow a schedule you happen to find more convenient for your family. My family like to take long summer trips, allow our kids go to summer camps, and spend a couple of weeks with their grandparents. As a result, we are very much against year round schools.
Yes it is liberal to believe the federal government should have more rights to tell you how to spend your time. The year round schools or balanced calendars have been used in states which are primary by big government advocates (liberals)
Holly
6:00 pm on Thursday, January 19, 2012
Who signed the largest change in the Education? Let's see it just turn 10 years old. That's right Republican George W. Bush! Look at Newsweek’s top 1000 high school-most school belong to traditionally Democratic States with Teacher Unions. Most have more of a traditional calendar, Labor Day to Late June. I suggest Susan and Proud member of the GOP you look at the countries that are kicking our butts in math and science, you find they have longer school days and school years, but hey, you want to have long summer vacations. My point is it is not liberal or conservative agenda. Education should not have political ties, it should be about Education, reform is needed-change will happen and if we want our kids to succeed in this GLOBAL economy, then we must move forward as parents and stop living and longing for the past.
Beth
7:53 pm on Thursday, January 19, 2012
Susan,
As a true conservative, don't you want your elected officials to represent the will of the people? The school board election in 2010 was not a mandate to change the calendar. When the Cobb County constituents were asked specifically about the balanced calendar, they spoke overwhelmingly in favor. The same type of actions by members of congress are what caused the evolution of the Tea Party - to hold republicans to true conservative values of representing the people.
I'm a life-long conservative in every aspect of my life, and my husband and I are raising children with those same principles. Honestly, how can you be proud of your republican members of the CCSB? Just because they voted for your calendar? Do they really have integrity?
The students go to school 180 (175) days every year. Regardless of how the days/weeks are arranged, this is NOT year round school.
Susan
6:26 pm on Thursday, January 19, 2012
Holly, it is ok to admit that year round schools (balanced calendar) is a very liberal view. Regarding Bush, most true conservatives would agree he was the best friend left wingers ever had.
Make sure you compare apples to apples when you look at education globally.
Please live in the real world; the delivery of education is a very political process and always will be. I always find it funny when my liberal friends try to claim the use of tax dollars is not or should not be a political issue. Any time you use public money or create public policy which gives power to the National Govt., it is liberal. The opposite is true of conservatives.
Holly
8:04 pm on Thursday, January 19, 2012
Sorry to disappoint you Susan- Ron Paul 2012
Susan.
8:48 pm on Thursday, January 19, 2012
Holly, let me help you out. Your support of Ron Paul demonstrates your liberal views. Although it does not sound like you are familiar with the Libertarian Platform; Let me help you out, they are socially liberal and fiscal conservatives. Libertarians believe the delivery of education is part of their social policy. Please feel free to ask you, if you have any more questions about your left wing views. So no I am not disappointed, you are exactly what I believed.
Beth, you too seem to have problems with your understanding of political ideology. As a RINO liberal you may not understand the following concepts but I will endure to help you. Unlike many liberals, conservatives believe in a republic form of government. Thus we elect leaders to represent us in governmental bodies. This is call a representative democracy. I hope you agree, in large, complex societies this is the most efficient method to create public policy. Conservatives also believe elections have consequences. RINO Liberals, on the other hand tend to believe, that should they lose an election they have the choice to use an activist court system to create new policy which favors their position which they lost at the ballot box. As you will note, the conservatives of Cobb rejected the liberal agenda of year round school. Our leaders were right and just to deliver on their campaign pledges. Are you really suggesting that a candidate who delivers on a campaign pledge does not have integrity?
Holly
9:04 pm on Thursday, January 19, 2012
http://www.ronpaul2012.com/the-issues/homeschooling/
Yeah Susan sound he sounds real liberal, he wants to bring Education back to local governments and parents. But, I'm done with this conversation.
Beth
9:36 pm on Thursday, January 19, 2012
Holly - I'm out, too. Susan's brand of "conservative" is what gives Republicans such a bad reputation in the eyes of some. The mean spiritedness and name calling gives the other side the stick that they beat us up with. Besides, she didn't answer any of my questions. Her calendar was pushed through by the Democratic chair of the CCSB.
Jacqueline
7:49 am on Friday, January 20, 2012
I don't understand what the CCSD balanced (NOT year round) calendar has to do with the federal government at all. This is 100% a local issue. And FWIW, the Libertarian party does NOT support the federal government being highly involved in schools. Saying that Libertarians are Liberals is laughable. While many of us do support some socially liberal ideas (Gay marriage, not always pro-life) we also tend to be the biggest supporters of the Constitution and small government.