The Cobb School Board unanimously voted Thursday to set up a 21-member calendar committee that will make a recommendation by Oct. 1 for the 2012-13 school year.
Elected and other officials often dump hot-potato issues into the laps of committees in order to buy time, hoping the issue will cool off in the interim or that the delay will buy them breathing space to address other issues.
But that won’t be the case here. Too many people have their minds already made up about what kind of calendar is best: a traditional-style one that starts in late August or even early September; or the faddish “balanced” calendar that starts in early August (or even late July) and has numerous built-in breaks and vacations.
The makeup of the new committee is weighted toward the administration, with a majority (11) of its members to be either central office employees or school staffers. Eight more will be picked by the PTA councils, no doubt with heavy behind-the-scenes influence from the central office. Only two members, one from business and one from higher education, might be lacking without ties to the administration.
Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa had originally proposed a 27-member committee and described the decision to pare it down to 21 as progress.
“I am pleased to get something done,” Hinojosa said.
But all he and the board have agreed to do is to kick the issue down the road till next October.
A MAJORITY of the board’s present members were elected last year after running on platforms calling for a return to a traditional calendar and greater board control over the superintendent.
Why would they now be drifting away from those pledges, which were supported by the majority of those who voted in the elections? Why can’t they just do what they promised to do and direct the superintendent to come up with a traditional calendar? After all, Hinojosa himself has said there is little academic evidence that one calendar is better than the other.
Sometimes it’s not clear whether an issue is one that should be decided by the superintendent or the board, but that’s not the case here. The school calendar has always been a board decision in Cobb, even at times when we had a weak board and strong superintendent.
Most of the board ran on a strong board, pro-traditional-calendar platform. Why would its members now after less than a year in office be shying away from those promises?
And what happens if Hinojosa and his committee recommend a balanced calendar, as they almost certainly will? Then those board members would either have to refute their earlier promises or publicly rebuke their new superintendent. An unhappy situation either way you look at it.
Instead, the board should come up with its own proposal for a traditional calendar, give it to the superintendent and then direct him to implement it with whatever minor changes or window dressing is needed.
We have said it before and we’ll say it again: This school system has much more serious issues facing it than the calendar — issues that would have a much more direct bearing on student achievement than the calendar. There’s no way at this point that any calendar will satisfy everybody. Recent boards and superintendents have let themselves get sucked into continual controversies over the calendar when the smarter thing to do would be to choose a calendar and move on. We thought that was what this board had agreed to do with its vote on the calendar last winter, but bitter-enders on and off the board continue trying to keep the kettle boiling.
And appointing an unwieldy, pro-central office committee is likely just to keep it boiling even longer.
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Twas almost the night before Christmas and all through Cobb County
Schools were still open for its students, teachers, and townies.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with rushed care,
No time for traditions that were typically there.
The children were nestled, all snug in their beds
But visions of exams danced in their heads.
And mama in her kerchief and I in my cap
Could not settle down with our family at a last.
When all around my house there arose such a clatter
I sprang from my bed…I know what’s the matter!
Away to last winter my mind flew like a flash,
When the three new board members had started to clash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to so long ago.
When, what to my wondering mind did appear
But the caucus of four, and their agenda, so clear.
With a little old leader, so nasty and quick,
They had changed our beloved calendar and replaced it with this.
More rapid than eagles new board members they’d came
With a secret agenda and a platform to blame.
Now Sweeney! Now Bartlett! Now Angelucci and Stultz…
Said “Down with wisdom, down with facts, down with taxpayer votes!”
“To all of our residents, you’re talking to a wall!”
“We will bash away your beloved calendar, and that’s not all!”
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
To Glover Street the caucus, they flew,
And with an unannounced Sunday meeting took our holiday days too.
And then, in a twinkling, we heard stories told
How the new board members wouldn’t work with the old.
As I thought about that and was turning around,
I realized that St. Nicholas would soon come with a bound.
He’d be all dressed in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes would be tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he’d have on his back,
And he would look like a peddler just opening his pack.
This time should be cherished with family so merry!
Not worrying about school and running around harried.
When will we have time to bake cookies, visit friends, go to church?
This new “traditional” calendar is most certainly the worst!
We should be reading stories about Santa and his big round belly,
That shakes when he laughs like a bowlful of jelly.
We should be caroling, shopping, spending time with each other
And laughing and singing with our sisters and brothers.
In a wink this new board had put our old calendar to bed,
I should have known it was something to dread;
Yet many spoke not a word, and let them do their work,
And now we are stuck with some board members who are jerks.
If I could lay my finger aside of my nose,
And give a nod, like Santa, up the chimney they’d go.
But all I do is make the best of my time,
Happy Holidays to all, thanks for reading my rhyme!
The School Calendar continues to be an issue each year. I believe that there are too many non-instructional days allotted in the school calendar. If some of these days were eliminated, then the schools could begin on the first day after Labor Day and end no later than the last Friday of May.
The School Calendar policy should state that school begins the first day after Labor Day and ends the last Friday of May. This would give a higher degree of predictability for parents and their summer schedules as well as summer school scheduling for students that have a need to catch up. No longer would there be ambiguity with respect to when does the school year start and when does it end.
This fixed policy would allow for students, who plan to take summer jobs, to be able to plan their schedule with their employer. Also, I believe for those teachers who plan to further their education would have more time to attend classes in the summer.
The parents and teachers need this issue resolved so that they can have predictability in making their plans
of election because of votes cast against the old
regime and not because of their own merit. Would
not we all be better served if we left it up to
our local newspaper to decide what we want and
need since they know more about our public opinion
than the Public does?
I voted for Mr. Stultz to represent me, not a bunch of plants and ringers from the central office.
If Dr. H himself has said there is little academic evidence that one calendar is better than another, why the exercise in futility? I have stated before and will do so again, that everyone knows statistica can be culled to support any argument. I even named cities and states with traditional September starts, as well as those with year round August starts, that were BOTH regarded as highly academically excellent systems. For every high performing August start there is an equally highly performing after Labor day traditional start. The point is MOOT, the penalties are offsetting.
If you tried to get a job in the private sector, looking for a work schedule with as much time off as a 'balanced calendar' has you'd never make it past the 1st interview. That and the "I like Disney in October" faction cannot accept that they failed to represent in the last election.
Consider the pot stirred.
The MDJ is never happy.