Cobb school calendar petition (Columbus, Marietta: layoffs, high school, shop)

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by aries4118

Northeastern transplants shouldn't be able to dictate a calendar just so they can go visit their families.

Agreed, but in an area with MANY transplants, why should the calendar be arbitrarily changed for NO REASON that makes any credible sense. Again, please tell me why we need to start earlier, just to get a week of vacation a few weeks later. PLEASE, please explain that thinking.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by neil0311

My opinion has nothing to do with "how it's done up north" except for the fact that what's done up north in this instance is better and smarter. Why do we need to start earlier in August, simply to get a week off in September? We're trading contiguous time in the middle of the summer, simply to get a week in September....why do we need a week in September? For that matter, why do southern states, where it is hot as hell, start school in the middle of summer?

Anyone who can answer that in a way that makes sense will change my opinion.

How about focusing on the idea of the present mid-August start dates? This has been around for a while down here. I'm not necessarily arguing for a September break, Feb break, etc...but I do think ending the semester before the Winter Holidays is smart...and better.

The problem is all of the reactionary arguments coming up now talking about Labor Day start dates and late June end dates (piggybacking on the calendar uproar). What??? It's a little too much.


And like I've mentioned before...it's hot as hell in the South in June and August. Take your pick.

[Tresninas]

There is no major difference between June and August (weather-wise) in the South. I know that many parts of Texas have school calendars like us--and actually started doing the mid-August starts dates well before we did.[/quote]



I respectfully disagree. My kids roast sitting on un-airconditioned school buses in August. I can't imagine it would be as bad in June. Also, there have been some school days where recess is so early in the day or even cancelled altogether because the sun is just too hot and the humidity so high in August.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by aries4118

How about focusing on the idea of the present mid-August start dates? This has been around for a while down here.

True, and I thought it was ridiculous when I first found out about it, but what do you do, not move because school starts in the middle of summer? Having said that, there is no rational reason to move the start date back in the wrong direction, without some clear and compelling logic behind it.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Agreed, but in an area with MANY transplants, why should the calendar be arbitrarily changed for NO REASON that makes any credible sense. Again, please tell me why we need to start earlier, just to get a week of vacation a few weeks later. PLEASE, please explain that thinking.

We were posting at the same time...like I said in my above post, my argument is not about the extra vacations...it's the mid-August to Memorial Day calendar I like--ending the semester before the Winter Holidays (RainyRainyDay has an earlier post that really breaks this down well).

I think we could get the same effect (while still starting in mid-August) by maybe having no school on a Thursday/Friday (or Monday/Tuesday) in September and February and calling each Fall and Winter Breaks.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Tresninas

I respectfully disagree. My kids roast sitting on un-airconditioned school buses in August. I can't imagine it would be as bad in June. Also, there have been some school days where recess is so early in the day or even cancelled altogether because the sun is just too hot and the humidity so high in August.

Have you been in Atlanta/Georgia/most of the South from roughly the 8th til the 27th of June???

[aries4118]

Atlanta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Atlanta Average High...

June: 87 degrees
August: 88 degrees



(and July, for those interested: 89 degrees)


Atlanta is in the subtropical American South. Really no difference between these months.



And remember, y'all...most of the North has true, differentiated seasons...that follow the monthly calendar like a seasonal storybook. That's not the case in the South.

[lastminutemom]

With the budget cuts that are coming, I can almost guarantee that no children in GA will be going to school 180 days next year. In fact, I wonder if systems will be able to have 90 days next semester.

I am curious what Cobb's finances look like. If they have to furlough teachers, will they push the start day later?

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by lastminutemom

With the budget cuts that are coming, I can almost guarantee that no children in GA will be going to school 180 days next year. In fact, I wonder if systems will be able to have 90 days next year.

I am curious what Cobb's finances look like. If they have to furlough teachers, will they push the start day later?

One word: Wow.

[DoveDiva]

Well as someone who grew up in South Florida riding school buses and walking home from school in 80-90+ degree weather AND 70+% humidity between September-late October and again in late March-mid June....the weather argument doesn't hold up well with ME personally (but that's just my personal view)...

I think this year's calendar would have been fine had they added a few break days here and there-like for example, Columbus Day and Veterans' Day. Last I checked, those two days were legal holidays...and I personally feel like something's just wrong with kids going to school on legal holidays...it just feels wrong! LOL A February break would have been icing on the cake.

From an employee standpoint, educators were pretty much working straight from Labor Day to Thanksgiving with no breaks. Yes, a teacher workday here and there...but seriously? That's like a full day's work b/c teacher work days are loaded up with so many workshops that true planning time is lost. I would appreciate a day here and there where I can sit and plan without having to worry about sitting in some presentation that, while useful, at the end of the day will not help me in the next 2-3 weeks or months. I can tell you that with a calendar like the one we have now...teachers experience burnout right around the beginning of November...and we all know when the teacher is burned out, the kids feel the effect as well.

I think the new calendar will help with teacher morale, b/c the truth of the matter is Cobb is losing a chunk of teachers to the other districts that have those days off interspersed here and there, such as Paulding, Douglas, Cherokee, Marietta, Fulton, etc. While I think we could have done without the full week September break (a 3-4 day weekend would have sufficed in my opinion) I do see the point of the February break. It is definitely needed!

I think some parents need to realize that in order to run a business effectively the employees must be content as well. I've read comments on other sites to the effect of "who cares what the teachers/staff thinks?" etc. etc. I personally have a problem with that attitude b/c I too am a key stakeholder in the district, just like the parents are as well--and that gives me the right to have a say and an opinion.

I do appreciate the fact that our input was considered, and hopefully the calendar change will improve morale and teacher burnout. I wish there was a different method for polling the parents--perhaps by using SurveyMonkey or some other comparable site.