(Alison Bartlett - MDJ File Photo)
Bartlett presented her idea for what she calls a “Balanced Nine-Week Calendar” during the Cobb Democratic Party’s monthly breakfast meeting. Bartlett, who is running for re-election this fall, said her proposed calendar is a compromise between competing ideas and is fiscally responsible.
She said she will formally present her plan for consideration at the school board’s work session on Oct. 10.
“After talking with the community and giving this much thought, I decided to put together a proposed two-year calendar that I feel will satisfy the needs of our students, staff and schools,” said Bartlett, a past board chairwoman.
“The Balanced Nine-Week Calendar is not hampered by the committee’s constraints, but instead, tries to find neutral ground between the various comments heard throughout our community and looks at future financial issues. My rational in proposing the Balanced Nine-Week Calendar is our growing need to optimize operational costs as well as minimize known safety concerns.”
Under Bartlett’s plan, the school year would begin Aug. 20 and end May 29. What she described as “natural” academic breaks would occur between each nine-week grading period.
Each semester would have two inclement weather days, which would be student and teacher holidays unless school was previously cancelled as a result of weather conditions. In that case, she said, those two days would become make-up days.
Bartlett said her plan follows the school district’s practice of implementing fewer instructional classroom days to save money. Her proposed calendar is based on 175 instructional days for the 2013-14 school year and 174 instructional days for the 2014-15 school year.
The debate over the school calendar has been an ongoing issue in the school district for years, primarily between those in favor of a traditional calendar, in which the school year begins in late August or early September, and proponents of a balanced calendar that starts in early August or late July and has several built-in breaks and vacations.
This past August, the district’s 21-member calendar committee agreed to submit two options per semester for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years to Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa. The group is comprised of parents, educators, central office staff and community members.
Hinojosa will present the committee’s recommendations to the seven-member school board at next month’s work session and for approval at the Oct. 25 meeting.
Bartlett was first elected in 2008, but the district was reapportioned this year to include more of conservative west Cobb. She represents Harrison, McEachern and Hillgrove high schools.
On Nov. 6, she will face first-time candidate Brad Wheeler, who won the Republican Party nomination for the west-central school board seat. In 2008, Wheeler retired from the county after teaching and coaching for 17 years at Pebblebrook High School and serving for nine years as an administrator at McEachern High School.
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Didn't he?
All forecasts for the next 2 years point to shortfalls of tens of millions of dollars for CCSD.
I read an article that said the school board is considering removing one of the furlough days because there are excess funds due to the mild winter we had last year, so less money was spend heating the schools. If a mild winter can eliminate a furlough day, then not having to cool the schools during the hottest month of the year has to account for something! Don't judge the calendar just because you like/don't like Bartlett, look at the calendar for yourself and judge it. Let's say that Ms. Bartlett is as horrible as some people think, does that mean she can't have a good idea every now and then?
Bartlett has shown repeatedly that she has her own agenda and it isn't protecting the people of Cobb. I won't let it die that she completely lied about good administrators and accused them of wrong. She fabricated facts in her campaign against the balanced calendar the first time too.
Someone of her character should not be in this office. It seems cliche to have dishonest people in office, but I just wish the world was different. I'll vote in November to try to do my part. The next people may not be better, but at least I'll know one dishonest person isn't holding office anymore.
It's amazing that our PTA sends DAILY junk mails about everything, EXCEPT there has never been a mention/survey regarding the calendar committee input.
I guess the calendar isn't that big of a deal to the PTA.
Since my first post I have spoken with 2 teachers that live in my sub-division. Neither one has been contacted by any committee member concerning their opinion. They both stated that no other teachers that they know have been asked their opinion.
Sounds to me that "the fix is in."
Why? You've stated no reasoning, just ranted.
Second, we are stuck with Banks another 4 years thanks to the uninformed voters that went to cast a vote against T-splost and voted "Incumbant." Head to head, Banks would NOT be Post 5's rep!
The 2 "candidates" who ran against him should also be embarassed - for signing up, not bothering to run any semblance of a campaign, splitting the vote, and letting Mr. Grapevine slip back in.
I agree, it does sound like a pretty good solution.
I take it you are supporting it, are a woman, and just being catty about the women on the board - after all, 2 men voted for the current calendar and you didn't attempt to belittle them in your rant.
No one in the community has a problem starting August 20 and ending May 29. The majority of the community has a problem starting July 31 as the committee recommends.
"It was also her prerogative to vote to approve the calendar committee"
This doesn't mean that she has to mindlessly go along with what they recommend.
I too, "agree with the others" on this blog - it is a good idea that she has come up with.
I don't see how she is trying to make the calendar "an election topic". She is simply doing her job - She, not the committee, votes on the calendar. She is appropriately looking at alternatives. Even if she was trying to make it "an election topic" - what is wrong with that?
My former school district does an excellent job of ensuring funding goes directly to student programs instead of getting caught up in a bloated central office. I thought that when I came to Cobb I would be a part of a more progressive, sophisticated school system but it turns out that there is at least one rural northwest Georgia school system that outshines Cobb with their ability to support students and teachers.
This is a compromise between traditional and balanced. Everyone gets what they say they wanted. Frequent breaks, and a later start date. Plus.... a way to prevent more teacher lay offs and larger class sizes.
This is absolutely wrong. The board and only the board decides on the calendar. Someone needs to get a clue about how the real world works. Boards routinely form committees, and routinely follow or choose not to follow their recommmendations. This board seems wisely poised to not follow the recommendation of the calendar committee