Petition for the August 1st Calendar

#240: Cobb teacher -

And your about to get ANOTHER cut.  Wait until the State passes their budget and CUTS education again.  Then you will get MORE days off and less pay.  Careful what you wish for.

#261: Guest - Re: Balanced school year calendar

Correct it was Ms. Bartlett who suggested and set up the unscientific survey.  Watch the meetings on the Cobb County website. It was Ms. Bartlett who asked that the survey using Survey Monkey be posted on the website with the three calendars. Two board members voted against the motion on the table, Mr. Banks and Ms. Eagle.

Then Ms. Bartlett and the other three that voted for the survey voted against the results!

#275: Guest - Re: Board Powers and Responsibilities

You need to watch the Feb. 9th meeting yourself before you go attacking Ms. Eagle. The meetings are on the Cobb County website. It was Ms. Bartlett who asked that the survey using Survey Monkey be posted on the website with the three calendars. Ms. Eagle was worried that parents were not going to be informed or have a voice in the process that the other board members wanted to bring up and vote on in one week (by the Feb. 14th meeting). The two board members who voted against the motion on the table were Mr. Banks and Ms. Eagle. 

Thinking that the November election was a referendum on the calendar issue alone is absurd. I voted for Mr. Sweeney thinking that the calendar was a non-issue since a calendar had already been approved for three years. He spoke about many other issues during his campaign including listening to the people of Cobb County which he did not do on Thursday. I will NOT vote for him again!

#1: Tami Gallagher - Balanced school year calendar

I find it disgusting too! The voters have been ignored two times in a row regarding the calendar. I support the balanced calendar, but a lot of people did not when it was implemented.

#70: keep august 15th!!!!! - The "Majority" cheated?

If the majority cheated, so did the minority, so the percentages are still accurate.  Also, you can't take from semester 1 (Thanksgiving) to give to semester 2 (Feb. break).  It's bad enough that Christmas is ruined, now you want to ruin Thanksgiving too?

#209: The Truth Hurts - Re: Re: Survey is not a vote

100% agree with you!  They did not even give the 3 year calendar 'study' a try, what a shame!

#278: Guest - Re: Re: Board Powers and Responsibilities

Hmmm...quoting the MDJ on the fact the the survey was originally Lynnda Eagles' idea.

Please! Spread this around. We need several thousand more signatures for the board to listen. Get family, friends, and co-workers to spread the word and sign this!

#195: - August 15th Is the Best

I may not necessarily like the balanced calendar and favor an after Labor Day start just like you.  However, the point is, this balanced calendar was put in place for 3 years and should not have been changed!  This is not right, especially that it was changed in such a short notice (less than 6 months)!  I like to plan my work schedules and vacations ahead of time.

#200: - School calendar and the school system in general !

You ask what other counties are saying?? Fulton (with a higher performance than Cobb) has an August 23rd start date.  The people from other states - who start after Labor Day, are enjoying their August with their extended families who live across the country.  Florida has mandated a later school start.  The top performing states in the country all have a later school start.  We have been unable to attend family reunions, etc. with our Indiana, Connecticut, Texas, Illinois extended family - because of what the prior school board did.  I cannot understand the passionate outcry on this subject...

I grew up in Florida and yes we had a later start date,however we also ended school the 2nd week of June. You can't have it both ways (Later start date and finish in May). All your going to get more teacher and students taking sick days and or personal days to handle appointments and other necessary responsibilities. With the balanced calendar we were able to take care of these things without costing the system substitute pay or risking a below average attendance record which could impact a school's AYP. It is not just about vacations.
P.S. If Six Flags believes that they are suffering economicially due to an earlier school start date, they are kidding them selves. I have been to Six Flags recently and they have greater problems than our school schedule. We can not be held responsible for saving a poorly run company that can not offer a product worthy of a return visit. I don't know how they train their staff but it is clear they are not service minded people.

#286: Cobb Resident - Re: School calendar and the school system in general ! 

 This is true..but as a Florida resident we did not get out of school till the 2nd week of June.  We wouldn't mind the later start date but you can't have it both ways.  We must complete the 180 days.  take it late...end later.  take it earlier...end earlier.

#286: Cobb Resident - Re: School calendar and the school system in general !

We have been unable to attend family reunions, etc. with our Indiana, Connecticut, Texas, Illinois extended family - because of what the prior school board did.  I cannot understand the passionate outcry on this subject...

This is why you want to punish every student in the Cobb District with a calendar with no breaks.  Have you seen that students have to go to school from after Labor Day in September to Election Day in November with no breaks and then another long period between MLK Day in Feb. and Spring Break in April.  All so you can go to a family reunion?  eeek!  What is the world coming to?

#286: Cobb Resident - Re: School calendar and the school system in general !

Have your family reunion in June--oops can't because the "rest of the country" is still in school.  You could have it in July--a great compromise.

“There are a lot of lies being spread on Facebook concerning board members,” Bartlett said. “Constituents should choose to educate themselves before they continue the gossip. It is scary because this is how people like Hitler come to power. They believe the untruths. I think it’s really sad when the administrators perpetuate the lies. It is very discouraging as a proponent of public education to see the lack of respect from people that interface with our children on a daily basis.”



Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal - Balanced calendar proponents threaten recalls

The above quote proves my point. The Gang of 4 is trying to turn the community against teachers. What a great way to improve education!

The school district should have left the schedule the way it was. Why did it have to change AGAIN??? Why did they put through a schedule that the majority of the public did not vote for? Why did they put it out for vote in the first place if they were not going to approve the schedule that had the majority public's vote? Our relatives are up north and this schedule makes it very difficult to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday. A lot of residents do not have family here. This schedule does not even remotely match the northern schedule and will be difficult to coordinate family visits because of this.

Thanks for organizing this. I'm not sure why this issue was brought up again when it was voted on for three years!!

The majority want the balanced calendar. Around 78% voted for it didn't they?
Let it stay as it was and then bring it up for review when the time period runs out.
I don't understand how anyone can vote for a later start date after researching it, asking for parents input, budgeting, planning renovations and new construction. Commit to three years of the calendar! Just because a new person on the board decides they don't like it shouldn't mean that they can just bring it up for consideration and another vote after the fact.

It's closed and decided. It's OLD business. People make plans ahead of time based on the APPROVED calendar: reservations, reunions, thanksgiving, anniversaries, parties, business trips and conferences, cruises, flights, babysitters, camps, college tours, sporting events and tournaments, even sports calendars are made around the school calendar. Don't cause turmoil in everyone's lives!

As a former government teacher, how do you teach the principles of democracy and then defend the actions and statements of certain "elected" school board members?

#287: Janet Sweeney - Calendar 

 

Keep your word. Don't peddle backwards when the bicycle is finally headed in the right direction for Georgia's children. Do what is best for OUR CHILDREN and the TEACHERS that TEACH them!!!!

Such a shame that a minority of loud parents can override "majority rule". To ignore 82% of teachers and employees is also unfair. Please reconsider and restore the balanced calendar as your survey reveals is more popular with parents, students and teachers.

To the board members who voted against the current calendar you might not be able to get voted out of a job but guess what your bosses can and if this dicision is not changed I'll do everything I can to see that next elections that come around they will be voted out of office