Calendar Back on School Board Agenda
At Wednesday's work session, David Banks will propose moving up the start dates for the 2012-13 school year.
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Scott Sweeney's first meeting as chairman of the Cobb Board of Education on Wedesday will feature an old subject.
David Banks, Sweeney's fellow East Cobb representative on the school board, wants to move up the start of the 2012-13 school year two weeks to Aug. 1.
His proposal is one of many items on the first regularly scheduled work session of the year, and it rehashes the familiar school calendar arguments that occupied much of the school board's activity last year.
But as The Marietta Daily Journal indicated on Tuesday, it's unlikely Banks' move will garner much support on the board, which has been split along 4-3 lines on the issue in the past.
The work session begins at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Cobb County School District main office, 514 Glover Street, Marietta. (Here's the full agenda for the meeting.)
Sweeney, elected to serve as chairman this year, is among the school board majority that voted to revert back to a traditional school calendar for the current academic year.
That vote set in motion months of turmoil and protests from parents for the rest of 2011. Last month, balanced calendar proponents started a website and an online petition drive to revive the matter.
Banks, whose term expires at the end of this year, told the MDJ that he receives "thousands of emails about the calendar, I think that’s what the public wants."
He also claims that his proposal would improve staff morale, reduce student absenteeism and save the school system an estimated $1 million in operating expenses.
Other items on the work session include a contract approval for renovations and modifications at East Cobb's Hightower Trail Middle School.
Jack S
9:11 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Here we go again...Banks says he receives "thousands of emails about the calendar yet, I have sent him several against it and never heard back. How many others does he get not supporting the calendar or does he delete those lest he skew the data? Rather than barking up this stupid tree again, in regards to improving teacher moral, how about allowing discipline back in the classroom; the ability to send disruptive students out without them talking back? Better yet, how about an increase in teacher salary based on performance or not making them pay for their own school supplies? I find it appalling and ignorant to think that more breaks through out the year equates to increased performance. Personally, I think it's disruptive: School year starts, spend a week to catch up from last year, take a week break; get used to going back to school; take a week break. As I mentioned in my last post, which no one bothered to follow up on because of their own agenda, was the need to address Block Scheduling. If you miss one day at Sprayberry, Osborn, or Pebblebrook you miss two days. If you really want to change the calender, better to have it go year round with all the breaks and be done with it. In the mean time, an alternate calendar the way Banks wishes it, cannot reasonably be agreed upon when there schools in Cobb County operating under different schedules: block vs traditional or some version of a modified block. Now crazy formulas here to see there is a difference.
OneOfEach4Me
2:30 pm on Thursday, January 19, 2012
I used to think the same thing when we went to the balanced calendar originally. However, comparing this year to last year both of my elementary age kids did much better with breaks in between. Actually the long summer makes it harder for the kids to retain all the information they learned the year before and therefore they end up spending the first 6 weeks of each school year in full prior year review.
Stephen Carlin
9:41 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
I have also sent him emails saying enough is enough. He actually responded and said 75% of his constituents are in favor of it. I asked if it was constituents or 75% of his emails. No response to that. I wonder if he even knows how many "Constituents" he has? He needs to stop acting like a spoiled child who didn't get his way and work with the rest of the board to move forward.
Jack S
10:48 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
thanks
M Newton
1:36 pm on Thursday, January 19, 2012
Well if Banks gets his statistical data the same way he draws maps, we need a second opinion on that! He's already garnered a reputation of distorting his facts when he presented the redistricting map!
He gave me the same response in an email a few weeks ago - when I asked for his data, crickets started chirping. Banks also needs to realize this is COBB County not just East Cobb and to get a true sense of what the public wants, all of Cobb County parents need to weigh in. His data is skewed only to East Cobb.
OneOfEach4Me
2:28 pm on Thursday, January 19, 2012
Well I can vouch that 100% of the parents I know in Cobb County want to return to the balanced calendar.
Jack S
11:22 am on Friday, January 20, 2012
Please don't say, "100% the people I know..." because I can say the same thing and my circle is probably larger and more diverse than yours. At the end of the day, it is NOT about us, it's about our kids and the quality of education. If you want to get on a soap box and argue about Quality then start addressing Block Schedules. You think your kids have it rough in elementary school? and need breaks every month wait until they go to a High School that operates under Block scheduling. Then tell me about how effective being in class for an hour and 35 minutes each day is going to be or having to wait a year between math classes. Seriously, take five minutes, and check the CCSD website and look at the 2011 SAT scores for Math and compare block schedule schools with traditional schedule schools. No statistical formulas to run and it's pretty straight forward.
OneOfEach4Me
11:31 am on Friday, January 20, 2012
@Jack S ~ I doubt very seriously with your condescending tone and accusatory personality that your circle is larger and more diverse than mine. This is about my kids, not about me. I already said they did much better under the balanced calendar schedule and I was one of those parents who was totally against it (the balanced calendar) at first. Actually, the traditional calendar works better for me because on those break weeks I have to find a center for them to attend while I go to work. However, it doesn't matter what kind of strain it puts on me, if the balanced calendar is better for my kids then that is what I support.
What does block scheduling in middle and high school have to do with a balanced calendar schedule?
Susan
5:52 pm on Thursday, January 19, 2012
It really never ceases to amaze me at the liberals who try to bully the rest of the community. I am not terribly surprised that Lynnda Crowder Eagle is simply echoing the words of liberal groups and leaders. She was allowed to never did answer any questions on first campaign. (I am willing this will dramatically, should she choose to run again. As for Banks, this man needs to step down and let a younger parent take his position. His only apparent goal is stir the pot. His claims of being a conservative does not match his votes or actions.
Thank goodness, they will be gone before end of the year. People are lining up knee deep to take both of these board members on in a real election and not a manipulated survey they or their friends put out.
Stephen Carlin
9:27 pm on Thursday, January 19, 2012
Who is ready to take them on? When is the date to file for the election and what are the qualifications? We need to be sure that this date is out there and everyone knows who is running.
OneOfEach4Me
11:34 am on Friday, January 20, 2012
You think liberals are bullies? I mean I am not a liberal my any means, but liberals are not the ones who use fear based propaganda.
And you are right, there are people lining up knee deep to take on those board members and all the other ones too. Most people aren't happy with the way the board is operating at all.
Greg T
5:43 pm on Saturday, January 28, 2012
I can't wait to vote in a balanced calendar board member. I'm not alone. Almost everyone I've talked to wants the balanced calender and a lot of them didn't have an opinion beforehand. I'm an active member in the community, so please no personal attacks Jack S.
Jack S
8:50 am on Sunday, January 29, 2012
All I'm going to say is, two schools in Cobb County were designated Schools of Excellence, ITBS scores up 3 yrs in a row, and 91% made AYP last year in spite of not being balanced.
Greg T
9:52 am on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
JackS - are you trying to say that only the traditional calander gave those wonderful results? Were the schools using the balanced calander before? If that is your point, then the obvious conclusion is that all schools on the traditional calander are now doing better than they were when the balanced calander was immplimented for a single year.
You really are stretching things to make your points.
Just curious, did any school results go down when they switched to the traditional calander?
Jack S
10:18 am on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
GregT, you want my honest opinion? the calendar issue is a political "straw man" used to distract us from real issues; primarily supported by two groups. The reality is, the precept of a balanced calendar cannot work in Cobb County when we have schools working under various schedules: Block, modified block and traditional and I am working with other board members on that issue. All this balanced nonsense gets some people riled up and foaming then the whining starts (ie, constantly bringing this issue up when it died last February). I just made an observation with my comment. I didn't do a statistical analysis but as a scientist, I can tell you that it's not hard to manipulated data to produce different results. It all depends on what variables you use/ignore, and number of samples or the location of samples. Maybe you can tell me how a three week on/ One week off schedule is conducive to learning? What I really like is how the Patch has become the forum for discussing this dead issue. Maybe we should discuss real issues like the 60+million budget deficit and how to fix that?
Greg T
10:48 am on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Jack S - My honest opinion is that when I was a kid, I needed the breaks throughout the year. The summers were too long and I forgot a lot of what I learned the year before. Studies do back up my experience as normal not anecdotal. People resist change ,but the balanced calendar does make for a better learning experience. Maybe the reason people keep wanting to go back to this issue is that they know that it is the right decision to make. Making this decision will not take away form the other problems you mention.
There is a reason this issue is not dying.
Did you know that New York City started to go after small offenses and misdemeanors and to their astonishment, the bigger issues and overall general welfare improved?
Why don't you try and fit in a compromise? Make the summers shorter and more breaks throughout the year. You sound like your trying to solve a problem, try compromising instead of demeaning and discarding the majority of Cobb constituents.