Petition for a Balanced Calendar in Cobb Schools

#15: Drop the issue - 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.

As for keeping August as part of the summer should there be any problem with that. Of course it is not all about 6 flags!  It is about students who have jobs or have special academic or sports activities which take place on a normal summer schedule. Camps are valuable for a child's overall education.  Summer should be long enough for these experiences. Some students need the income during the summer.  Internships and the work experience can enhance learning. The so-called balanced calendars prevents students from participating in programs and work that other students from other counties and states can freely be involved with.

Rather than turn the academic year into a series of choppy weeks rarely having a 5 day full day week of study....lets keep a reasonable calendar that promotes education.

This years calendar has had a much better flow than last years, however, the holiday break should begin earlier and end at the beginning of January rather than yet another week where our students are the only ones out and the wealthier families can take a vacation while single moms go back to work with their students sitting around that first week of the new year.

Single mom in Cobb, M.Ed. School Psychology