I emailed the entire school board early on. I got "message received" acknowledgements from two, and actually corresponded for a short bit with one. The one balked at my posting comments we had made back and forth. I was shocked that a public official would balk at the publication of informations dealing with public expenditure of tax funds. I feel that the board's decision to float this as a trial thing at the schools level allowed them to stay above the fray, and be blameless if parents/voters didn't like the adoption. If this was such a positive idea, then the board should have had to moral courage to say, "The Board is adopting the calendar. All schools will be on it, and there will be no discussion about it." But that takes courage to do, and is potentially a high risk position. By floating it downstream, the schools themselves reap the rewards of a divided parental support network. Every parent attending the presentations did so because they are fervent supporters of public education. They just held diametrically opposite positions on this. Yet, I fear that the level of dissension will come back to cause some friction for those who formerly worked together to be at odds. And that's the real tragedy here.
If they made a decision, and made it for the entire county, I may agree with you. However, they left the decision up to parents of currently enrolled students, including students that will not be impacted by the decision (5th graders). IF it was going to be voted on, then it should have been voted on by everyone. And you're right, they are elected officials, which means we have the right to disagree with what they choose to do, or how they choose to do it, and let them know that it may impact their future as an elected official.
I just sent an email off to the school board members expressing my concerns, however if the parents that are against this are willing to get together, I am still more than willing to take part!
If what they sent home was correct, and 50% of teachers/staff, and 50% of parents voted yes, this would be strongly considered to be passed. From what I figured out from the latest results (*updated 3/26) only one more school in which the teachers voted yes do the parents have to vote no, and it will be shut down. (at least if they hold true to what they said, as this is going to be county wide, not school specific.) Those schools would be Benson, Meadow, West Clayton, and Wilson's Mills. If all of those school parents vote yes, than that averages out to the majority of parents and teachers in agreement. (this is strictly from pulling the %yes Staff and %yes Parents columns) Anyone know where those 4 particular school stand?
Link to the pdf with all the vote results so far, nothing yet on other schools mentioned http://www.johnston.k12.nc.us/educa...xMjUwNi8xNTY5Ml8xMTI1MDZfYXR0YWNoXzYxOTYucGRm
If you listen to the initial proposal presented to the board, it was that 75% of staff vote yes, and 50% of parents. That obviously was changed to 50/50 before they voted on it, yet it's interesting to see that only 3 schools had 75% of teachers support it.
This is so stupid. People logging in as aliases because they do not want to be tarnished. How egotesticle.
This is a school specific issue. Only those schools that support the calendar will be considered for the change. The school board will not force the entire county to use it.
That's what they say now . . . I have no faith in this board and believe they will do whatever they want, regardless. How foolish do they look now? Going ahead with something simply because those that they employ (i.e. Superintendent and his staff) told them it was a good idea. Did they not know about the bill about to be passed upping the school start date? Did they not know that would factor into this discussion? Just shows the tail is wagging the dog in Johnston County.
I think it should be an all or nothing policy, either all schools in the area on the modified schedule or none of them, not one school on it and the school down the street not on it. I don't think it's fair to the kids that some are in school while others are not. And I think they should have the vast majority in all schools of staff and parents supporting it in order to do it. I'm talking at least 75%, not 50%. Otherwise, they are leaving a lot of families unhappy and unsupportive of the change. I also think that parents that do not yet have their children in school should get a vote in the future of their childrens education.
You make a lot of good points. I totally agree with the vote needing to be more than 50%. A 51% majority doesn't show any real support but a major split. 75% would be a better judge that the school community is in favor. I am all for options as not every child learns the same. The all or none I don't agree with for that reason. If some schools go this route, fine as long as parents that don't agree can opt out to attend another school. Take all those that voted yes and parcel them out to certain schools, those that voted no to the others. But then we'd have a mess with kids going all over the county each day and no one would be happy with that either. But making a major change for such a small population of students is not the way to go either. Not when there are other options that haven't been utilized enough or even explored.
I completely agree with you. Having the chance to opt out would definitely be optimal, but would also create some major chaos.
We could start our own school? One that serves pudding at lunch! and lets you play outside on warm days!!! I know I'm not as seasoned as some of you are at being a parent, but the traditional calendar has worked for so many years (decades really) why change it? You are never going to shake every hand in a crowd unless you take the time to individually seek out each person. If the schools did that, they'd have to be in school 360 days a year, and I know teachers don't want that (neither do students) Also, do we really want to make our elementary students, who are already in their "It's not fair" stage, go to school while big brother/sister doesn't go b/c of they being in middle school? If so many of our students NEED this calendar, why not have a school dedicated to that calendar? Just bus those kids to and from, AND I MEAN BUS, not parents have to drop them off and pick them up. But of course, my voice is small amongst a larger giant.
So you are saying that if one of your elementary aged children NEEDED the modified calendar and another of your elementary aged children DID NOT need the modified calendar for academic reasons, that you want the school board to assign and bus your two elementary aged children to different schools? Interesting!
My child is doing excellent in school, and my second child will not be in elementary until 5 years from now. So I'm not too worried about that.... But I do see your point....What I'm saying is that if the child needs help, and the school board wants this enhanced calendar, then they should offer the parents a chance to enroll or decline it. If I was in that unique situation, I would enroll both children in the same calendar.... Whichever that would be. Also, I am diligent enough with my 8 year old to know what is going on, and what she needs.
Although you may not have faith, the community does. This board won easily in the last election. It's not foolish to pursue new ideas that people have expressed an interest in. Finally, I wouldn't worry much about the calendar bill which is a democratic bill that is not likely to pass with a republican assembly.
I support having a variety of school choices so that you can really meet the needs of children. When all kids are attending 180 days, I don't see how it would be unfair. If they did not allow the new calendar when 55% of the parents wanted it, then they are making 55% of the parents unhappy to please 45%. Talk about unfair. You can't let someone vote on a future that might not be. If I am planning to move to North Carolina in December, they are not going to let me vote in November's election.
I'm not planning on moving anywhere, so you're point really isn't very accurate. I already live here, my daughters live in the Polenta school district, and will be going to that school. So the future of their education being impacted by this topic isn't a "might". A 10% difference really isn't that many people, so I don't see how it's any more fair or unfair. There just isn't that big a difference in the amount of people who do support and people who don't. It's pretty evenly divided. Having a vast majority of parents and staff supporting this would be much more compelling. Having parents unsupportive of a new initiative at school is a bigger problem than having parents upset that things are staying the same, in my opinion.
I don't mean to sound rude or condescending at all, please don't take this that way, but do you have kids? Elementary aged children don't care if it equals the same amount of days, all they are going to see is that the friends they made over the summer at the swim club still get to go swimming everyday while they are back in school. Or that their friend on the soccer team has off today and they don't. Too young kids, that's pretty unfair.
