Petition for a Balanced Calendar in Cobb Schools

#27: - Re: Look at Tax Revenue in Sept and Feb

"The so called "balanced calendar" is a disaster for students who have difficulty with focus or are trying to improve grade deficits. The choppiness of the calendar is not conducive to steady cumulative learning.  It is nice when families have second homes or the ability to spend large amounts of money to take off for a vacation during the break.....of course that is fun for the kids and the parents...but does that help learning?  What about the families where both parents work or particularly in the case of single parents?  Children not able to go on extra vacations are at home with no activities while parents are working.  How anyone can see this as a positive environment for learning is beyond comprehension."

My 8th grader  has 2 learning disabilities and all of us in our family LOVE the breaks! Not only does it give him a break, a chance to decompress and relax, it also gives us a chance to schedule doctor/dentist appointments when he doesn't have to miss school. Missing school time to schedule these necessary appointments is more detrimental to his education than having the time off to relax.  We do not use the breaks to go on vacation or travel, but if families do than that is great for them! If parents are working and need childcare, they would need those arrangements whether the break is in the summer or during the school year. If the fabulous school board had not changed the calendar at the last minute, people who had those breaks covered with vacation days from work, or family/friends to help them would not have been in the bind that so many people were in. My son needed those breaks, so did we (his parents) and his teachers!

#47: -

The only vote you get is for the school board representative for your area. You may have expressed an opinion, but you never voted on a school calendar, that vote is the responsibilty of the school board.

#42: - Reality Check

We are talking about children, not young adults in college and not adults in the workforce. Please keep that in mind, kids need a chance to be kids. There is so much more pressure put on these kids than I ever faced while I was in school.  As for the teachers, having off those 2 weeks doesn't change the fact that they still go to work the same amount of time. Yes, teachers get a lot of time off of the year, but that is the nature of their job; if you would like some time to "reenergize"  and have a couple of weeks off than maybe you should try teaching. Give it a try, see how "easy" it is!

#97: -

Unless you are a registered voter in Cobb county, your opinion does not matter. If you do not like the calendar that is in place, feel free to seek employment with a county that runs on a balanced calendar. There are plenty of out of work teachers who will gladly take over your position no matter what the calendar is.

We loved the balanced school year. It would be great if the children could get a few more days before Christmas off and return on January 2 or 3. For those of us who celebrate Christmas, having a few days to enjoy the traditions of the holiday would be ideal. After Januuary 1, we are ready to get back to work.

Our children were healthier physically and mentally on the balanced calendar. I see a stark difference this year and it's not a positive difference. Please help our children to thrive in school by breaking up the school year with intermittent breaks. It's not about fancy vacations for we parents. It's about doing what's best for our kids.

Uh, two things:

1. Even though I am not represented by the 4, I did remember when they were campaigning. That was back when the Balanced Calendar was yet to be fully enacted and, therefore, unpopular. But there really wasn't a groundswell of opposition and the candidates didn't use the traditional calendar as the cornerstone of their campaign. And for those who probably voted for them thought that a vote would have occurred after three years- in accordance to regulations previously enacted. It was only after parents saw the benefits of the Balanced Calendar that the popularity arose. So the election of the 4 wasn't a mandate against the Balanced Calendar.

2. The only time the Balanced Calendar went head-to-head against the Traditional Calendar was when they held that infamous poll. And the Balanced Calendar won by a wide margin- thus creating a mandate for the calendar to be changed back to the Balanced Calendar. That's the most popular opinion of the constituents.

3. When you solicit the opinion of the constituents for their opinion and then vote completely in opposition to it ensures that you will be in office for only one term. This issue isn't going away. It can't be swept under a rug. The 4 will be replaced as soon as humanly possible- no matter how much campaign money from organizations is given to them.

4. Here's the bottom line: If the school board representatives wish to stay on the board past one term, they will vote for the balanced calendar. If they are interested in making campaign money, they will vote for the traditional calendar.

Having a had a high school sophomore, and 7th and 5th graders when the balanced calendar was introduced I can say that it did not help my students academically. My high schooler had teachers slam him with work before the break and slam him when they get back. I believe that the kids need some more down time but not a week off every 6 weeks, it disrupts the flow too much. If the board could coordinate a few long weekends during October and Feb/ March that would give everyone a breather but not disrupt the teaching to such a great extent. Families could plan a weekend away or just enjoy a few extra mornings of sleeping in and catching up on work.

Return to the balanced calendar that we had before the newly elected commissioners jerked it out from under us without us knowing.

I think the points below summarize things well:

"What were the numbers? what was the ratio of petition-signers compared to the number of Cobb County voters? How many of those were CCSD employees? What percentage actually live in Cobb County. The survey is, and has always been flawed. We live in a county where we elect representatives who are supposed to look out for all of our interests and make the hard decisions; sometimes representatives favor special interest groups that supported them. But for the most part, we elect people so minority (or Mob Rule) doesn’t happen. So, if the majority of a minority signed an unscientific survey, because the majority thought that this was a done deal, does the minority now get to set precedence for the rest of us? This is a long and tired argument and I am personally tired of seeing it. Maybe that is part of the plan too…keep on bringing it up and win by attrition? We really need to fight bigger battles such as budgets or Block Schedules."

#9: -

We were ignored last time. The original vote was to "try" the balanced calander for 2 years. We got it for a year and they didn't care that we voted to keep it. Who will care now? =-(

 

Actually the old board that voted in the balanced calendar voted it in for 3 years.

The old board changed an already published calendar for 2010-2011 to enact the balanced calendar.
Facing recall efforts (Crooks) and community discontent - 2 of the board members didn't bother running again.
Another board member, Cash, was beaten in re-election attempt when she faced the voters.
When board member Sweeney (who supports the more traditional calendar) faced the voters against a balanced calendar candidate - he won.
When board member Angelluci (who supports the more traditional calendar) faced the voters against a balanced calendar candidate - she won.

No balanced calendar supporting candidate has EVER won an election.

That is the way the voters voted.

Two board members out of SEVEN have been elected supporting the traditional calendar since the balanced calendar was implemented. Those TWO also ran on other issues, not just the calendar. Those two were elected 3 months into the first school year that we tried the balanced calendar, so before people had gotten a feel for if they liked it. Some people thought they would hate it and then found it worked great. Some people voted for those TWO candidates because they promised to stop just the sort of behavior they have taken to a new level. Both of those candidates ran as Republicans, in a heavily Republican county. It is doubtful that the calendar issue is why they were elected. And even if it were, again, they are two of seven board members. That is hardly the public saying that they tried the balanced calendar and didn't like it. (and FWIW, I tend to vote Republican, so don't bother accusing me of having a Liberal agenda.)

#113: - two people doesn't tell us much

ZERO candidates out of Three who supported the Balanced Calendar Won.

I don't give a crap about your party affiliation.  Though, I bet you don't pay a dime to any political party.  You probably prefer to whine and start petitions.

Re: "It is doubtful that the calendar issue is why they were elected"

- given the 0 and 3 performance, it is entirely possible that is why they were elected

 

#111: - Re:

How could you not "know" when Zero out of 3 Candidates supporting the balanced calendar Lost.

#107: -

Re: 4. Here's the bottom line: If the school board representatives wish to stay on the board past one term, they will vote for the balanced calendar. If they are interested in making campaign money, they will vote for the traditional calendar.

-  here's the bottom line - every board member who voted for the balanced calendar and had to face the voters after the vote - lasted only one term

#115: Guest - Re: Re:

should be Won - not lost

#108: mom -

With younger children, I saw the same thing.  The many breaks, combined with the snow breaks - made last year's calendar very difficult.  I was wondering if older children were having issues with the disruptions/frequent changes to the school week.

I'm certainly glad the calendar was changed this year because it was incredibly hot the first two weeks of August (prefer to have the children at home with me then rather than worry about bus/hydration etc. at school).

It's so easy - give the people what they want.

#90: - Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

Not sure where the poster got the dates, it looks like they are correct for 2011 with the exception of DeKalb.

For 2012, I think the dates of the major school districts are - De Kalb  - 8/13; Gwinnett 2012 - 8/6; Fulton 2012 - 8/13; Cobb - 8/13.  So, the current Cobb calendar is very much inline.

#114: Guest - Re: two people doesn't tell us much

For the general election they very likely won mostly because many Cobb residents vote Republican when they aren't sure about a candidate.  The candidates they ran against had more issues than simply supporting the balanced calendar.  I am willing to bet that if LE runs again, she will be re-elected.  Saddly, the school board is not one of the elections that has been closely watched by the majority of the public.  it should be though.  These elected officials have more of an effect on many of our day to day lives than all of the higher offices do.  They determine when our kids are in school, what our teachers are paid, our property taxes, how SPLOST dollars are spent, the types of schedules our kids have, the list goes on and on.  We all need to pay close attention to the school board for all elections and make sure we aren't just voting party line.

And you are correct, I have never paid a dime to any political party.  I support candidates, not a party.  I do donate money to support campaigns for candidates; but I'll never just donate straight to a party.

Thank you for doing this, we have 2 kids at Mt. View Elementary and are incensed by the switch.

It becomes very evident when we have had a break that the children are very ready to work and forge ahead. I hope everyone listens to those who work with the children and see wha positive affect breaks have on all of us.

#11: -  

 The teachers perform better as well!

#120: Guest - Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

what about cherokee?