Cobb school chief to SACS: Stark divisions on board, which is ineffective. Widespread anger over calendar vote.
Here is a fascinating and candid response from Cobb County Superintendent Fred Sanderson.to the concerns of the accrediting agency SACS over recent school board actions.
Sanderson faults the board on many fronts. Please click on the link and read the entire letter, which is quite amazing for its criticisms, especially in the calendar reversal vote.
I am just sharing a small part of the five-page letter on the blog – Sanderson’s response to SACS’ concerns that the calendar vote “eroded public trust and public confidence in board members’ ability to govern stemming from the “efforts of four board members to exclude their fellow colleagues and use their personal and political agendas to drive school board decisions, including the decision regarding the calendar.”
Sanderson responded:
The process of approving a system calendar in February 2011 was legal, but did not represent the spirit of effective governance. The board was hasty in raising the issue and voting to replace a three-year calendar that had been approved by a prior board, and had been in effect only five months. The effort to change the calendar was led by three newly elected board members, along with one veteran board member who is also board chair.
In November 2009, when the three-year balanced calendar was approved, board member
Alison Bartlett stated, “I was not willing to change the calendar because we had already set it
and I thought it was wrong to go back and undo what we had already set where people had
already set their calendars, so that is why last time I voted the way I voted because it wasn’t
right to go and do that.” In February 2011, as board chair, Ms. Bartlett did vote to change the calendar just six months prior to the start of a new school year.The newly elected board members had campaigned on the issue of changing the calendar, but should have recognized their first priority on being sworn in was to become acclimated to and informed about district operations, and trained in the basics of school board leadership and effective governance. Had these first steps been taken, the new board members and one
existing member may have considered a more productive consensus-building approach to
honoring their campaign promises.Instead, these four board members immediately brought the issue to the table for a vote,
despite the division it caused with their three board member colleagues and within the
community. The board chair appointed two of the newly elected board members to work with
the superintendent to develop alternative calendars. Additionally, the board chair directed
administration to conduct an online survey of stakeholders on the calendar issue and present the results to the board in less than one week’s time. The survey results indicated
overwhelming opposition to changing the calendar, but the four board members nevertheless
put the item on the board meeting agenda and, by a 4-3 vote, changed the school-year
calendar.The result has been widespread anger and distrust among a large contingent of the district’s stakeholders. Many stakeholders have voiced their displeasure at board meetings, public forums and in the news media, and have complained that the four board members who voted for changing the calendar failed to provide a valid rationale for doing so other than the fact that they campaigned on the issue. Other stakeholders have submitted multiple Open Records Requests to district administration asking for data pertaining to the calendar issue and board member emails. Retrieving information in response to these requests has consumed many hours of staff time. Additionally, on April 1, 2011 the entire Board of Education was summoned to appear before the Cobb County Grand Jury to answer questions about the calendar approval process, among other issues.
The calendar issue has created stark division between the four supporting board members and the three opposed. One of the opposed board members, David Banks, has used his constituent email newsletter, David’s Grapevine, to publicly criticize his four colleagues, and in at least one instance used the district’s email network to distribute the newsletter. These actions are a clear violation of district policy and the board’s own ethics policy.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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146 comments Add your comment
madaboutmath
April 29th, 2011
1:27 pm
Although another poster stated that Mr. Sanderson “threw the school board under the bus,” I appreciate his honesty. I believe this response is his honest assessment of the situation, and his arguments are logical and well supported. Although I do not relish the idea of having SACS on our tail, the current school board in Cobb is out of control and must be reined in.
ABC
April 29th, 2011
1:35 pm
The new members campaigned on it. The promised to change it of they got elected. So they are being blasted for KEEPING campaign promises??????? Seriously????
East Cobb Parent
April 29th, 2011
1:43 pm
I disagree with madaboutmath – Sanderson encouraged parents to contact SACS in the first place. Then he states his own opinion in regards to the calendar vote. And you know what they say about Opinions. I went to many meetings while the new board members were campaigning. Each said they were for a more traditional calendar. Never once did anyone ever stand up and say, well we like the calendar or would like for it to stay for a while to see how it goes. So to have all the hoopla regarding the calendar is childish at best. As for his blast to David Banks, well that was well deserved. Unfortunately I doubt he is intelligent enough to realize he did anything wrong. As for not following the spirit of the law, check a few meetings back. It seems to me that Alisha Morgan made a comment about Cobb County, under Sanderson’s direction, not following the spirit of the law in regards to school choice.
BillM
April 29th, 2011
1:46 pm
Good for Fred. Boards collectively and board members individually need to be responsible for their actions and for acting responsibly. No matter the merits of a particular calendar, the most important thing is the confidence of the public in competence and the fidelity of the board.
I don’t have a dog in the calendar fight but the Cobb board has behaved poorly compromising the public’s confidence.
another comment
April 29th, 2011
1:54 pm
The Cobb County School Board should immediately fire Fred and give him his walking papers. The Ga. Constitution says that the School Board is the Boss of the Super. not the other way around.
The voting both is the only true way to know what the County residents and taxpayers wanted on the Calander issues. Get this one Fred, the monkey survey does not count. It showed that more teachers responded than the county even has employed. Many of those teachers don’t even live in the county, so in a real election they don’t get to vote. So if they want the balanced calendar to align with their kids they need to teach in Cherokee where they live. Also, all those illegals in the county, sorry they don’t get to vote at the ballet box, like they do on a monkey survey. Teens and students don’t get to vote for more vacation only registered voters in Cobb County who actually vote and pay the taxes get to vote and we spoke in November.
Just Wondering...
April 29th, 2011
1:56 pm
@ ABC – the calendar wasn’t the only issue. For many it wasn’t even the most inportant issue, and they didn’t think the change would happen that fast. One candidate ran UNOPPOSED. One ran as a Republican in East Cobb – for all intents and purposes, he ran unopposed (especially this year). The other won in a tight race that was as much about personality as anything else. These three (along with the fourth who was already seated on the board), came in representing a little more than than half the distraict, yet they made a higky controversial decision that affected EVERYONE. The number of people who voted for those three isn’t even close to the number of half the people in the county (or even the number of students served by Cobb County Schools). I’m tired of the “Well, the voters spoke” argument – I didn’t have a chance to vote as my district wasn’t up.
What I really want to know is 1. how do we as a system go about electing an at-large board member, someone who would respresent ALL of us, and not just Six Flags or vacation homes in Hilton Head, and 2. how do we as a system go about making the board positions NON-PARTISAN? It really shouldn’t be about D or R…
Dr. John Trotter
April 29th, 2011
1:57 pm
The truth of this matter may very well be that Fred Sanderson already communicated with Mark Elgart about the forthcoming letter. A cabal perhaps? Ha! Where is Glenn Brock on this matter? Remember that I have always believed that the unelected ones (e.g., superintendents, chamber folk, et al.) collude either directly or indirectly with SACS to put a whamee on the elected ones. See Clayton County and Atlanta City. These things are not done in a corner. In addition, they are done for public consumption. A real chess game. “Yeah, let’s get these four recalcitrant board members in line. Hey, Markie, why don’t you send me a letter of concern, and I’ll write a response. Yep, this ought to scare the poo poo out of these orangutans. The very idea that they question my authority and the authority of my staff! Who do they think that they are, elected officials or something?!” Note: This quote is not from a conversation that I actually heard. Ha! It is mere satire. Full disclosure.
Just Wondering...
April 29th, 2011
2:00 pm
another comment – SACS requested the information from Sanderson – should he be fired for telling the truth? For a wide variety of reasons, the board is not acting properly, and it’s causing problems – PR only being one of them. I heard about the SACS petition from a facebook group started by a nieghborhood group of PARENTS – not teachers, not central office staff, not Fred Sanderson. I know the person who started the group – she’s just a parent, not a teacher, and no Sanderson (or Banks) fan. She did this on her own.
CobbParent
April 29th, 2011
2:04 pm
I’m glad Sanderson is being honest. Regardless of whether they board members ran on the platform or not, they rushed into changing the calendar immediately upon being seated, despite bigger problems and issues with the school system. On top of this, they did not listen to the majority of their constituents when we spoke through a voting system they initiated. It’s one thing to say you ran on a platform, it’s another to continue to shove that platform down your constituents throat once you realize that’s not actually what the majority wanted. Moving forward, and calendar issue aside, we need a board who can work effectively and this board appears incapable of doing that.
missy
April 29th, 2011
2:09 pm
As a parent of a Cobb student, I am thankful that the calendar was changed back to a traditional calendar. This is what they ran for and it is why I helped vote them into office. I was not happy with the balanced calendar, mostly because the start date. The schools told us to send our children to school with water for their bus rides to and from school to combat the intense heat of riding on school buses with no air conditioning. Furthermore, the schools having to run the air conditioning during the hottest month in Georgia is costing Cobb residents dearly. Not to mention the disruption going on vacation (basically) every six weeks has on a child. Many teachers I spoke to said that it takes almost a week to reel the kids back in when they’ve been out, so essentially you lose two weeks for every week the student is off. It’s a disruption and takes away valuable teaching time. The only value that the balanced calendar has is that it allows families to take more vacations throughout the year – and if that is the argument, people should be ashamed of themselves. Education is more important than a vacation! I would love to hear a valid argument to support the balanced calendar.
FedUp
April 29th, 2011
2:09 pm
CobbParent,
Why did the former school board change the calendar? If you remember people were REALLY upset then too. Listen to the majority of constituents, yeah like the former board did in 2010?
missy
April 29th, 2011
2:10 pm
The survey was accessible to any person with a computer and therefore could not be considered a true representation of the people/parents of Cobb county.
madaboutmath
April 29th, 2011
2:12 pm
@ another comment– It was the school board that formulated and put out the “monkey survey.” You live by the “monkey survey,” you should die by the “monkey survey.” I’m quite sure there were just as many bogus votes in favor of the traditional calendar as there were for the balanced calendar. All I’m saying is it’s the board’s own fault that the survey was inaccurate; it was ill-conceived and rushed through without thought as to the consequences, but those of us who voted (only once) voted in confidence that our votes meant something.
FedUp
April 29th, 2011
2:12 pm
Get rid of the teacher workdays, the early releases, etc and you wouldn’t need to start school back until the END of August.
BTW, the breaks during the winter and spring were filled, at least in my house where I have an 11th and 7th grade student with what? HOMEWORK and PROJECTS! Why, because of the snow in January.
What kind of break is that?
AJinCobb
April 29th, 2011
2:13 pm
As a Cobb parent who preferred the “balanced” calendar I appreciate Mr. Sanderson’s honesty. I also strongly agree with “Just Wondering…”’s comments about the election of the new board members. They may have campaigned on the traditional calendar, but there were apparently no viable alternative candidates. This makes it doubtful that their election shows that the voters indicated a strong preference for the traditional calendar. Furthermore, those of us who reside in other posts had no opportunity for input.
Ali
April 29th, 2011
2:14 pm
Having students start school in the middle of summer is costing Cobb taxpayers money – is that not enough of an argument to change the calendar back?? I would love to know what the costs were to run the air conditioning for Cobb county schools from Aug 1 – Aug 15. I think those in favor of the balanced budget may re-think their position on the matter!
FedUp
April 29th, 2011
2:18 pm
Go back to November 2009 and see that the PARENTS were MAD then too.
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/11/11/summer-fun-will-dip-under-new-cobb-school-calendar/
madaboutmath
April 29th, 2011
2:18 pm
Oh, and while the superintendent may work for the school board, more importantly, he works for the constituents of Cobb County; therefore, he owes it to us to be honest. While I think loyalty to the school board is a worthy goal, the higher responsibility is the one he has to me as a parent in Cobb County. I believe Sanderson was acting on this higher responsibility when he was honest in the letter to SACS.
FedUp
April 29th, 2011
2:20 pm
Exerpts from the above link in the AJC in November 2009.
Under the balanced calendar, school will start the first week of August and end right before Memorial Day. In exchange for the shortened summer break, school will be out for a week in September and in February, which working parents maintain will be hard to accommodate.
The board vote angered parents, many of whom felt betrayed by board members who campaigned on a later starting date for school and then changed their minds once presented with the arguments for a shorter summer and two mid-year breaks.
One outraged parent said she is considering private schools in Fulton County or homeschooling her kids. Others, she said, are doing the same to avoid the change.
A poster to my earlier entry on this issue served on the committee in my town to study school calendars . I think her comment is worth noting here:
You can have a balanced calendar for whatever reason you want, but improved achievement is not going to be a result of a different calendar. I was on a calendar committee and we did a lot of research on whether these calendars improve achievement. We looked at Henry County data which showed no improvement since their new calendar was enacted (they have had a balanced calendar for five years or so). We also looked at (nonbiased) university studies, which overwhelmingly showed fleeting or insignificant differences. Here is one study to look at … the most complete and unbiased one we could find….
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070811151449.htm
Our district is going to a balanced calendar next year primarily to use it as a recruiting tool and to give teachers and students a rest. Apparently teachers like it. We did a poll and most of our parents were against it (especially at the high school and middle school level) while most teachers/staff were for it. The admins were strongly for it.
FedUp
April 29th, 2011
2:23 pm
Maybe we can remind Fred of the 2009 vote.
Just Wondering...
April 29th, 2011
2:26 pm
@Fed-up – FYI, early release days COUNT towards the 180 total. That wouldn’t change anything. There is only ONE teacher workday (election day) in the fall semester, so that doesn’t help either. The main reason we start that early is to have the first semester over by winter break.
@Ali – the buildings are open and on most of the summer – granted it’s not the same as when it’s filled with students, but the air is on, nontheless. Classes are in session (adult and summer school) and maintenance is being done. The savings are not as much as one might think.
madaboutmath
April 29th, 2011
2:30 pm
Actually, Ali, the balanced calendar was saving us money. They have to run the air-conditioning all year (at least to some extent) in GA. It’s hot and humid here, and the buildings would get moldy otherwise. Also, there was a marked decrease in the number of substitutes needed in Cobb County, which could very well be because teachers were more rested from the breaks. As a substitute, I noticed a huge increase in the number of substitute jobs (to the point that schools often cannot get enough subs to go around) that were available as soon as the board changed back to the traditional calendar. My guess is that teachers were trying hard to reduce their absences while on the balanced calendar, but became discouraged and gave that up when the board turned their backs on teachers and parents alike.
Curious One
April 29th, 2011
2:34 pm
Just more evidence of “how” a few dim – wits as past and present board members and an ex coach as superintendent can mess up the reputation of a school district – in the press anyway – by having zero leadership, intellectual nor even management experience. Thank goodness all of the dumbness is located and captured on Glover Street ( Distict HQ) and not in the 100 plus schools where educators continue to serve the education community in an excellent manner.
FedUp
April 29th, 2011
2:36 pm
Just read about the 2009 vote above in the link. Nuff Said.
Actually January 9th is a teacher work day too. I guess they need time to get over the Winter Break.
FedUp
April 29th, 2011
2:37 pm
Maybe the teachers should start fighting the No Child Left Behind, teach to the CRCT debacle instead of worrying about the school calendar.
Lum
April 29th, 2011
2:39 pm
I have known Fred Sanderson for more than thirty years, and I assure you he knows more about running and administering schools than any group of elected Board members. The people get what they vote for, and in Cobb County they got crap.
Dr. John Trotter
April 29th, 2011
2:40 pm
Did Mark ask for the information because Fred suggested that he ask for for? Just wondering…
Dr. John Trotter
April 29th, 2011
2:43 pm
Now, Lum, you are just being more honest. The unelected folk know more than the elected folk do. Hmm. I have noticed that SACS and superintendents tend to hold elected officials in contempt. Thanks, Lum, for being so honest about your views on democracy.
missy
April 29th, 2011
2:45 pm
Besides being able to take additional vacations, what benefits are derived from the balanced calendar? I’m sorry, but I have/had a huge issue with the school asking us to send our children to school with water to hydrate them while they sat on non-air conditioned buses on the way to/from school! Insane!
Just Wondering...
April 29th, 2011
2:53 pm
@Fed Up – the teacher workday in January is to put in grades from the second semester which ends the day before winter break. High school has to grade finals and get those grades in so report cards can be mailed. It’s not a “break for the break.” It truly is a WORK day (of which there are THREE total throughout the year). sorry to bust your bubble on this one, but it’’s not going to help your cause even a full week.
catlady
April 29th, 2011
2:57 pm
That rag has been scalded!
What?
April 29th, 2011
3:11 pm
The problem is not that the calendar was changed. The problem is how they went about it.
TeresaB
April 29th, 2011
3:13 pm
The truth is the truth; poor school board can’t handle the truth. Missy, please tell me the temperature difference between August 1at and August 15th. Can’t tell me, I know, on average one degree. This past August no child fell out from the heat by going back two weeks earlier. The calendar may have started this, but this board has a lot of distrust in the community that they have developed, not just by teachers. They also ran on building a sense of community and trust with all stakeholders, that’s not working out so well now is it? By the way, before it starts, I am a parent, not influenced by a political agenda and I am a free thinking intelligent individual. Try it some time, parrots.
Cobb County Parent
April 29th, 2011
3:16 pm
Sanderson is an idiot, as are board members Banks and Crowder-Eagle. Can’t wait to see them all leave the county.
Cobb County Parent
April 29th, 2011
3:16 pm
“The problem is not that the calendar was changed. The problem is how they went about it.”
Yeah…they campaigned on the issue, then kept their promise.
Sounds like sour grapes to me…
Cobb County Parent
April 29th, 2011
3:18 pm
” I am a free thinking intelligent individual.”
Then you should celebrate the free deomcratic election of the school board members, and the fact that they kept their campaign promises.
Cobb County Parent
April 29th, 2011
3:18 pm
“I have known Fred Sanderson for more than thirty years”
We’re sorry.
GetALife
April 29th, 2011
3:19 pm
Just wondering, read the 2009 post I linked you to.
From a person who’s Mom taught in public schools for over 30 years, let me say Teacher Work days are bogus. The Pinnacle System where grades are entered by computer and should be graded prior to break beginning, not afterward, is not like the days of manullly, by pen and paper, sending in transcripts for grades for students.
While teachers are giving homework and projects during the winter and spring breaks, let them work over break too.
The calendar is the calendar. Get over it. We had to in 2009 as well. REMEMBER!
Concern Parent
April 29th, 2011
3:19 pm
At least two newly elected CCSD board members were lead and supported by Georiga Needs Summer, all they cared about was that group, not teacher or parents. They are the ones with true ethics violations, they are the one PARENTS ( no we are not lead by anyone!) distrust, I wonder if Maureen will ever publish anything against her beloved Georgia Needs Summer Group ( they should be called lobbyist)
GetALife
April 29th, 2011
3:20 pm
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/11/11/summer-fun-will-dip-under-new-cobb-school-calendar/
Here is the link FedUp posted, or are you ignoring it?
Please
April 29th, 2011
3:21 pm
What is the problem? Teacher Unions!
CobbParent
April 29th, 2011
3:23 pm
BooHoo. Fred is mad! BooHoo!
Concerned Parent
April 29th, 2011
3:27 pm
For those who have a problem with what the Superintendent said to SACS, I guess the truth hurts.
Thank you Mr. Sanderson for your honesty. I hope SACS takes you seriously and looks further into what this Board has been up to. I have a feeling it’s not gonna be pretty.
TeresaB
April 29th, 2011
3:31 pm
Hey Please,
They don’t have a union here, thanks for trying though.
West Cobb Parent
April 29th, 2011
3:34 pm
@madaboutmath in regards to your comments about substitute requests increasing with the traditional calendar: I’m sorry, but under the traditional calendar teachers receive 4 weeks away from their students during the school year (Thanksgiving break, winter break, and spring break) and then 2 months during the summer (~8 weeks). That’s 12 weeks away from their students each year. Last I checked, that’s 10 weeks more than your average salaried worker in the private sector to attend to your private matters. Not to mention the lessened likelihood of having a sick day requiring a substitute teacher with that much time away. I’m not buying the necessity of increased substitutes based on that. Either that, or the teachers need to be drastically more efficient in dealing with their private matters.
Cobb County Parent
April 29th, 2011
3:36 pm
“Concerned Parent
April 29th, 2011
3:27 pm
For those who have a problem with what the Superintendent said to SACS, I guess the truth hurts.
Thank you Mr. Sanderson for your honesty. I hope SACS takes you seriously and looks further into what this Board has been up to. I have a feeling it’s not gonna be pretty.”
Cobb County schools are going in the crapper, and if your views reflct those of typical parents, I guess you are getting what you deserve.
Just Wondering...
April 29th, 2011
3:44 pm
@ GetALife – was that “are you ignoring it?” comment directed at me? Sorry, I have a life, and it doesn’t involve hanging around a computer waiting to read a post that I read the first time around (and commented on, to boot).
How are grades supposed to be entered before breaks begins when the test is GIVEN on the last day? Teachers DO take them home and grade them over break. Pinnalce does a lot but it doesn’t grade the tests for you. It also doesn’t print and distribute alone.
I don’t give projects over breaks. Never have, never will. My children, who all came up through Cobb schools rarely, if ever, did either. We all have our empirical evidence to “prove” our point, my friend.
Maybe your mom needed to tell you that two out of the three “work” days aren’t “work at school” days, but are instead “professional learning days” where the PTB at the county offices plan meetings/conferences/staff development. Teachers typically are not fond of those days, and would rather be in their classrooms, kids or no kids.
I could’ve told you in 2009 that “the calendar is the calendar.” I actually didn’t want the balanced calendar, but I did want a February beak. As someone who grew up in the north, with a “traditional” Labor Day start, we HAD a February break. It IS traditional, to me. I am over it, but I still want to have school board positions be non-partisan and an at-large board member, becasue I don’t feel like the entire county isrepresented well with current system It’s not just the calendar. It;s a lot of other things, including internal policies that you have NO clue about.
East Cobb Parent
April 29th, 2011
3:44 pm
Concerned Parent, you should listen to Dr. Trotter, he knows what he is talking about. Sanderson is enjoying the mess he stirred in the background. Reminds me of the little kid that always starts the rumors that entices two others to squabble/fight. If Sanderson truly cared about the children of Cobb county he would have stated the calendar vote was legal and moved on – you know be the bigger person. Teacher absenteeism is now somewhat tied to performance so hard to say that the balanced calendar lead to the reduction. My phone has rung almost daily to sub, even though I took myself out of the system. Calendar issue aside, I disagree with the way Sanderson handled this.
SunshineD
April 29th, 2011
3:49 pm
Just FYI… all of you who keep saying that the air conditioning is costing the county money, you should know that the “Traditional Calendar” costs $62,333 more in utilities just by being open those extra two weeks in August instead of September and February.
You should FURTHER know that the balanced calendar resulted in a reduction of 8740.5 teacher sick days in just the first semester (over 2009/2010 school year). That translates to $651,342.06 in JUST substitute teacher salaries.
CobbDad
April 29th, 2011
3:53 pm
It’s about time someone let the public in on how dysfunctional our new board has become thanks to the 3 newly elected members. I can understand their need to work to keep campaign promises, but they also promised accountability and transparency, of which there has been none. They are working on their own agenda, and have shown complete disdain for process, procedure and their constituents.
It matters not which calendar you may favor, that’s no longer the issue. It’s now about ethical behavior, accountability and trust.
The new board (the 3 new members and their disrespectful chair) is going to end up jeopardizing the next SPLOST vote. Thanks a ton.
Professional Educator/Researcher
April 29th, 2011
3:57 pm
@ FedUp: Be careful when you start citing “(non-biased) university studies” for several reasons. Firstly, most of the studies conducted on this topic are studying a very different calendar from the one we are debating – which really should be called a “modified” calendar vs. a year-round calendar or a balanced calendar. It is only appropriate to consider school districts with similar demographics as Cobb County (e.g., Cherokee County) who are implementing a similar calendar (redistributing two weeks rather than balancing the 180 days across the 12 months such as those in California). Secondly, while some of these studies did in fact demonstrate no “significant” improvement in academic achievement, they DID show some improvement overall and specifically for children who come for economically disadvantaged homes. I have heard that over 40% of the students that Cobb County serves come from these homes. Thirdly, you cannot compare our school district with districts from out West (or Canada or anywhere else). “An important consideration when examining both sides of the balanced school year is defining the goals of the proposed change. What may be an objective for one school or district may not be as important for another” (Madeira City Schools, 2007, p. 8). Lastly, the author of the study you provided concluded: “On purely academic grounds, I wouldn’t advocate a year-round calendar, but I can’t recommend against it, either,” he said.
another comment
April 29th, 2011
3:59 pm
Their are so many lies about teachers using less leave. That is Hogwash. The schools are just using more retired teachers to cover it. My daughter’s 5th grade teacher has been out so much it isn’t funny. Ever since the principal announced her retirement I have seen alot of leave being used at my daughters school.
Cobb History Teacher
April 29th, 2011
4:03 pm
“Many teachers I spoke to said that it takes almost a week to reel the kids back in when they’ve been out, so essentially you lose two weeks for every week the student is off. “
Some teachers just have better classroom management skills I guess, and some children aren’t as capable of retaining material as others. Of course self control and discipline is something you learn at home. It is a part of childrearing.
As for the calendar…who cares? Teachers get paid the same no mater when the start date is.
sarah
April 29th, 2011
4:04 pm
Well obviously more parents who were in favor of the traditional calendar voted their candidate in office. The board members did what they said they would and now they are being critized for the manner in which it happened – give me a break! At the end of the day, these three individuals kept their promise and for that I’m thankful. There are too many elected officals that pull that bait and switch and I’m thankful these board members did not.
another comment
April 29th, 2011
4:07 pm
The fact remains it is the teachers and the administators that are who like this stupid balanced calandar the best. It stinks for the working parents and the students. By the way Disney et al… raised their prices to a high season rate for the Feb. week. Kids think they should go out of town on vacation each of those weeks of vacation. It is too expensive for the average family to do. My big question is, who in the private sector gets all of those weeks off to go on vacation????
I would rather take advantage of the low rates at the begining of August and go to the beach.
Why should those of us who have our children read all summer be penalized by those who are ignorant and don’t work with their kids to maintain grade level.
The board needs to give Fred his walking papers in 24 hours. They need to call an Emergency Executive session to fire him for insobordination. That is how real board operate in the private sector. The 4-3 majority works. You don’t have the hired help sabatoging you behind your back. Working with Holli in the background, because she lost her vote.
For those who are ignorant, all three seats were contested. Two were decided in the Republican Primaries.
East Cobb Parent
April 29th, 2011
4:10 pm
I’m really surprised at the number of people that continue to state that the issues are with the newly elected board members. I guess you liked things better with all the cheerleaders (Holi Cash) and Rubber Stampers – LCE, David Banks, at times David Morgan, Abraham, John Crooks – look at all the violations of the sunshine act under those that are no longer on the board. I guess you guys preferred the violation of sunshine laws and rubber stamps.
Personally, I would rather have board members that think for themselves. Lynda Crowder Eagle has never voted against anything Sanderson recommended, no one truly agrees that much unless you’re a Stepford Wife.
Interesting Observation
April 29th, 2011
4:13 pm
What? The folk in pristine Cobb are jealous because APS, Clayton and Dekalb are getting all the negative publicity and want to create their own?
Cobb History Teacher
April 29th, 2011
4:13 pm
@Fedup
“Maybe the teachers should start fighting the No Child Left Behind, teach to the CRCT debacle instead of worrying about the school calendar.”
Maybe the parents who are the vocal majority should do the same. Elected officials will listen to parents before they listen to teachers as there are more parents than teachers. Most teachers agree however we are the minority.
TeresaB
April 29th, 2011
4:13 pm
to Another Comment:
Who are you trying to fool? Disney and all the parks and hotels offer their lowest rates in February, May amd September, you obviously are not from there sparky. The highest rates for all the parks and hotels are June, July, August, November,and December, when EVERYONE is out. Wake up and smell the coffee, don’t just repeat what you have been told to repeat, it’s not becoming.
Professional Educator/Researcher
April 29th, 2011
4:18 pm
Ultimately it is the results of the general election (and not the primary election) that puts a person in office. When there is only one name on the ballot in a general election (and not a primary) for a given office, I would say that person is not subsequently “voted” into said office; rather that person is “defaulted” into office.
ups57
April 29th, 2011
4:22 pm
Sanderson is a MORON and he needs to GO NOW!!!
East Cobb Parent
April 29th, 2011
4:33 pm
Feb is not a lower rate for Disney it is a peak time, Peak Season – February 17-26 and March 11 – April 16 (especially weekends)
From the Disney Mousesaver website.
Cobb voter
April 29th, 2011
5:18 pm
Read the comments and notice the tone. The prior Cobb County School Board was repeatedly lambasted in the local paper, as was Sanderson. The divisions on the Board are terrible and public; not just obvious, but flaunted. That attitude of “Attack! Attack!” does affect the ability of the Board to make thoughtful decisions. They do not operate in concert, they operate in opposition. I don’t doubt SACS is looking – they should. If anything will destroy our schools it is this attitude that doesn’t allow respect, consensus building, or cooperation.
Charles
April 29th, 2011
5:28 pm
Too bad superintendents don’t say what they really think until after they’ve announced their retirement!
catlady
April 29th, 2011
5:44 pm
Lookout! The SACS boogyman does not like boards that disagree, and board members that let folks know why they disagree. The former supt called in SACS because there was a board member not agreeing with everything he proposed, and warning against overspending. The system was sanctioned in a trumped up monkey court (which is worse than a kangaroo court) and the board member drummed out.. Fastforward 4 years and BINGO–it turns out someone should have listened to the “rogue” board member, as the things he warned against have come to pass and the school system is in deep financial doo.
Thanks, SACS, for ignoring the first amendment, and the right of the people to elect whom they choose.
East Cobb Parent
April 29th, 2011
5:53 pm
@ Cobb Voter I’m not sure where you stand, would you rather the new board members rubber stamp and have meetings in violation of the Sunshine Laws, as did their predecessors or do you think the older board members should stop being rubber stampers? Let me be clear, I do not agree with all of their decisions I do however support that they question and exam things and then vote. I’m still wondering why we needed to approve new schools when many are under capacity and that lovely over budget expansion at Lassiter.
Personally, I’m extending an invitation to Dr. Trotter or Catlady to apply for the Super position in Cobb. And would you please focus on not hiding the fact that kids are not taught but indoctrinated into feel good philosophies
Alabama Communist
April 29th, 2011
6:10 pm
Meanwhile as the educational system collapes nation wide along with the econony. Cobb County Superintendent Fred Sanderson said he would waterboard the first board member who pop their mouth off at him again..
Happy In Cobb
April 29th, 2011
7:37 pm
I’d like to say thank you to Mr. Sanderson for representing the people you truly report to, the citizens of Cobb County. He told the truth and now the board will have to suffer the consequences. As we learned from the last SACS intervention (the board is currently under advisement) CCSD schools are great; it’s the CCSB that has issues with proper governance. They need to get along and do what’s best for ALL of Cobb County, not just special interests. School boards should be non partisan and a county wide “at large” member would be great. I am proud to teach my kids this lesson that sometimes telling the truth hurts, but it is always the right thing to do.
Dr. Craig Spinks/ Augusta
April 29th, 2011
7:41 pm
Hopefully this calendar squabble won’t divert the attention and energies of CCSS personnel and parents away from the system’s failure rates of 33%, 24% and 25% on 2010 EOCTs in Math, Science and Social Studies, respectively.
CobbMom23
April 29th, 2011
7:56 pm
The truth hurts so good! Way to go Mr. Sanderson!!!
East Cobb Parent
April 29th, 2011
8:06 pm
@ Dr. Craig, of course it does. Didn’t you see Happy in Cobb. They are so busy patting themselves on the back that Sanderson gets to slide out with his polices in place that hide many issues. Parents of ES students think they know how their kids are doing as the parents brag about the 2’s received on SBRC. Yet no one is taking the time to ensure those children master the material. They brag about meeting the standards on the CRCT never questioning the low cut scores on that test either. By moving the ITBS from 8th to 7th grade Sanderson again bought time on when MS student parents will notice an even greater decline. Sanderson is behind wonderful polices such as a pretest for all tests in HS – currently used at Pope and several others. Will these students be prepared for college, careers, jobs or even life? Only the few whose parents paid attention and looked beyond the smoke and mirrors and demanded better of their children.
Equitas
April 29th, 2011
8:16 pm
I have read about several instances where SACS has been involved
with other school boards and districts. Most of the concerns seemed
warranted,but should SACS be involved in micromanaging a decision
concerning school calenders that is within the legitimate bounds of
acceptable attendance for students and families? The board is an
elected body with the responsibility of making school policy. While
the school board should maintain proper community relations, and
seek input from (or compromise in some cases) its stakeholders to
form a consensus, It also has the right to pursue policies consistent
with state regulations and stated educational goals advocated during
the campaign of school board elections. All board members represent
their constituents, and know that when they cease to represent their
constituents that someone may pursue a recall campaign against them.
If SACS becomes actively involved, primarily because of the calender, it
would undercut the process of elected school boards. SACS should
only intervene in situations where there is a serious question of academic
quality,integrity, financial mismanagement, or blatant disregard for state
educational laws.
A Teacher Named Just Wondering
April 29th, 2011
8:29 pm
The comments by JustWondering do not surprise me. Coming from a teacher who says they don’t give homework and projects over break, should check into Middle and High Schools in West Cobb. We can surely prove you wrong. What do you teach, 1st grade, band, chorus?
For teachers to say they don’t have time to grade test before break and SURELY they aren’t going to take them home makes me sick to see the amount of homework that my child in 6th grade brings home each night. Pinnacle system that grades haven’t been entered since April 1, blogs not updated at all. And what is said, Parents need to get involved! Yeah, maybe the teachers should get involved. Sick days? 8 to 10 weeks off for summer, a week off at Thanksgiving, 2 weeks off for Christmas and News Year, Labor Day, Presidents Day, MLK Day, election day in an off year. And teachers have the nerve to call in sick with 12-14 weeks off per year. Hell, if we could all be so lucky. And Justwondering is wanting a week off in Feb. too. Wow, poor thing.
Just dump the No Child Left Behind nonsense, quit teaching to the CRCT and maybe the kids will turn out better. I know we care about our kids. They are good students, we are involved in all aspects, they have extra curricular activities and do fine. JustWondering, maybe you need to be in another profession, like working at the Post Office. Wait, that wouldn’t work, they only get about 3 to 4 weeks off per year. If you are a teacher, quit posting on blogs while you should be teaching.
jd
April 29th, 2011
8:31 pm
Effective governance is doing what the voters expect you to do. End of story.
FedUp
April 29th, 2011
8:38 pm
So Professional Educator,
40% of students in Cobb are low income? Seriously? Have you read the recent 2010 census? Why are grades lower now in the South, consider that Georgia and specifically Atlanta has the 4th highest level of illegal aliens, many of which cannot even speak English. Also, take out the Atlanta City Schools, and the numbers are much higher.
The main thing I was referring to in the 2009 post were ALL the people MAD about the change in the school calendar. Now people are complaining again.
Thank you Fred
April 29th, 2011
8:43 pm
I appreciate Fred implicating the Marietta Daily Journal in some of this mess. The MDJ and its editors first got a taste for blood after running Redden out of town about 7 years ago, and have been at war with the Cobb County school system ever since. The adversarial nature of this relationship has been to the detriment of the community and show no signs of abating. I’m tired of the MDJ making despicable insinuations while attributing it to conveniently anonymous “board watchers.” Maureen–Is this an issue that you could look into or do an article about? As an avid follower of your blog as well as the MDJ’s coverage of Cobb County I notice a distinct difference in the professionalism that you diplay, and the petty editorials and cheap shots the MDJ commonly uses.
Sara
April 29th, 2011
8:44 pm
Too bad the first time he shows some guts as Superintendent is when he is 2 months out from leaving!
FedUp
April 29th, 2011
8:46 pm
2010 Census report results.
The U.S. Census Bureau ranks Cobb County as the most-educated in the state of Georgia and 12th among all counties in the United States.It has ranked among top 100 wealthiest counties in the United States.
CCSDteacher
April 29th, 2011
8:48 pm
It should be noted that the Balanced Schedule was originally proposed because in other areas this schedule increased CRCT/state test score (that so many find SO important). Students get small breaks where less information is lost, instead of a 11 week summer where elementary students often drop 2-3 reading levels. Long story short, the kids hadn’t even taken the CRCT under the new schedule. They will regret their decision if the test score show what we already know about student retention
lawdawg
April 29th, 2011
8:49 pm
After reading his letter, all I could say is “wow.” Mr. Sanderson has thrown his system and the board under the bus. The school district’s attorney never should have let that letter be sent. It’s one thing for board members to whine publicly, but it’s quite another for the superintendent to whine in an official response to SACS, obviously trying to fuel an investigation in bad faith. Imagine if the CEO of a company wrote such a letter about his company to the SEC or another governmental agency. Do you think the CEO would be fired?
Barb
April 29th, 2011
8:55 pm
This is a disgrace and embarrassment. Public trust was eroded when the Balanced calendar was passed for three years. The newer board members were completely transparent about their position on this subject when they ran for the board that they planned to return to a more traditional calendar. This idea that it all came as a surprise is simply due to people not paying attention. Now that the newer members have lived up to their campaign promise those who don’t like it are heaping an embarrassing amount of attention on this issue. Read Sanderson’s comments. What they did is legal. If you don’t like it vote in new candidates but this unseemly behavior is tearing down one of the few bright spots in public education in Georgia.
another comment
April 29th, 2011
9:15 pm
I just went to dinner with two 5th graders from two different Cobb County Elementary Schools. The districts border each other. One is clearly known as the more desirable school. The kids at the more desirable school have been learning the US Contitution out of their book devoted to the US Constution.
I asked the child who goes to the less desireable school if they were also learning the US Constitution. I was told no. We have been having two hrs a day of Math of CRCT review, in case we failed them. They think we failed them, so they are reviewing it for if we have to take it again. This child also said they only covered the Constitution for about a day. They didn’t have a seperate book on it like the other school.
Both these schools feed into the same High Schools. So what happens down the road?
But in Cobb we have Fred and the teachers more worried about getting their breaks. Why on earth did they have to change from the traditional schedule anyways. We need to look at the Damage Reardon and Fred along with their patsy boards have done. They district has rapidly gone down hill. The Board Chair and three new board members are the fresh air we voted for.
Professional Educator/Researcher
April 29th, 2011
10:00 pm
Thx FedUp. You made my point for me. However, Cobb county is still federally mandated to demonstrate accountability in academic achievement and these students, regardless of their status (which is off topic BTW), affect AYP numbers. Like it or not, these student’s achievement are aggregated into the bottom line numbers. And, just a quick side note going back to your reference of that study: another limitation of that study is that they didn’t take transient students into consideration. A snap shot picture of standardized testing at one point in time does not reflect whether every single student who took that test was in that school district the entire year. If you have a student who moves into the school district mid-year, their performance is reflected in that standardized test, yet they could have started out that year in a low-performing school district.
Also, per the CCSD website:
Percentage of Students Qualifying for Free/Reduced Lunch (2009-10) – 43 %
Transiency Rate (2009-10) – 24.2 %
Another West Cobb Parent
April 29th, 2011
10:39 pm
Sanderson is correct about the board and it’s ineffectiveness. All he has done is state the facts that show how disfunctional the board is. The calendar vote was a power grab by Bartlett and the three new members. The way the rammed the calendar vote through truly angered the public. Sanderson was more in touch with the needs of the children than the current board. He should be applauded for his work and his candor in this response.
jason
April 29th, 2011
10:42 pm
Move over Fulton and Clayton…there is a whole new board of retards running our school system and making the front pages. Someone please explain how they decide changing the calendar again was the right thing to do when the survey overwhelmingly said the people dont want that?
Just Wondering
April 29th, 2011
11:10 pm
f d the time. I’m speaking for myself and my experience. I don’t give projects over breaks. My children very rarely got projects over breaks (and never had projects due upon return). I’m sure there are teachers out there that do, and if you feel that strongly about it then you need to take it up with your new board members.
“What do you teach, 1st grade, band, chorus?” Ha ha, very funny. I teach an academic subject in a secondary school (one for which there is a CRCT/EOCT).
“For teachers to say they don’t have time to grade test before break and SURELY they aren’t going to take them home makes me sick to see the amount of homework that my child in 6th grade brings home each night.”
Do you have kids in high school? Do you understand how the final schedule works? They take a test on the LAST day. Then school is over. Then break starts. I don’t know how to explain that to you any clearer. And if you think teachers don’t bring stuff home over breaks to work on, then you don’t know any teachers. Are there teachers that don’t? I’m sure. But many do. The work doesn’t get done otherwise.
As far as your sixth grader goes – is s/he in AC classes? Have you talked to the teachers? Have you talked to the administration? Complaining on a blog certainly isn’t going to do much good – teachers are damned if they do, and damned if they don’t when it comes to homework – for every parent like you, there’s a parent thinking we don’t give enough. Why does your child have so much? Is it unfinished classwork that needs to be done because s/he would rather talk to friend than do work? Is it taking forever because your child is multitasking on facebook and texting friends?
“Pinnacle system that grades haven’t been entered since April 1, blogs not updated at all. And what is said, Parents need to get involved! Yeah, maybe the teachers should get involved.”
That sounds like a problem between you and your child’s teacher. My Pinnacle grades happen to be updated, as is my blog. I don’t know why your anger is directed at me.
“Sick days? 8 to 10 weeks off for summer, a week off at Thanksgiving, 2 weeks off for Christmas and News Year, Labor Day, Presidents Day, MLK Day, election day in an off year. And teachers have the nerve to call in sick with 12-14 weeks off per year. Hell, if we could all be so lucky. And Justwondering is wanting a week off in Feb. too. Wow, poor thing.”
People get sick. Kids get sick. Sick kids get teachers sick. And none of this happens at the convenience of a calendar. I don’t understand why you are upset that teachers get sick days. Most profession jobs that require a college diploma offer PTO as part of a typical compensation package. With last year’s calender, and no furlough days, teachers would have had 7 weeks off (unpaid, BTW). This year it is closer to 9 due to the calendar shift, but as we well know, that was done “for the children” and not for the teachers. It’s not ten, and hasn’t been for as long as I’ve been with the system. We get a week (unpaid) at Thanksgiving because PARENTS wanted it. We get two weeks (UNPAID) at Christmas (which include the UNPAID holidays of Christmas and New Year’s that are usually paid holidays in the corporate world) because PARENTS want that. We have Labor Day and MLK Day off UNPAID, where most corporate jobs have these as either PTO or paid holidays. We haven’t had President’s Day off in several years – it has been a professional learning day – that is NOT a teacher workday in the traditional sense. When we do have it off, it’s UNPAID.
As far as me being a “poor thing,” my point, which you CLEARLY missed was that this big push to move to a later start was in an attempt to get back to a more “traditional” calendar. My point was that for me, a February break WAS traditional. I would have liked it for my children when they were still in Cobb schools – I wasn’t even a teacher then. Thank goodness they have both graduated and are done. Now if I can only keep my home value up.
“Just dump the No Child Left Behind nonsense, quit teaching to the CRCT and maybe the kids will turn out better. I know we care about our kids. They are good students, we are involved in all aspects, they have extra curricular activities and do fine.”
Who is this addressed to?? Me? I hate NCLB, and I don’t teach to the test. In case you haven’t been paying attention, NCLB is federal legislation from the Bush era. It’s not Cobb county, or even Georgia’s legislation. You might want to pay more attention, because the way the law is written, ALL schools will be labeled failing by 2014 if just 1 student fails to pass the CRCT/EOCT. I’m glad you care for your kids, but I’m not sure what the point of that was in this discussion.
“JustWondering, maybe you need to be in another profession, like working at the Post Office. Wait, that wouldn’t work, they only get about 3 to 4 weeks off per year. If you are a teacher, quit posting on blogs while you should be teaching.”
Again, why the vitriol? You don’t know me. My students love me and my parents do, too. I get excellent evaluations, and I’m involved at multiple levels of the profession. I’m politically active and aware, and I love nothing more educating a generally ignorant public about the truth behind the chalk. Thank you for the opportunity to do so tonight.
FTR – I was not blogging while I should be teaching – don’t worry your pretty little head about that. I’m too busy TEACHING, while teaching, to blog. I was in the “real world” for many years before I decided to take the plunge and try my hand at making a difference. If you think all those days off are so enticing, and you think it’s so easy, why don’t you join us? I’m sure you’ll never look at the world the same way.
Just Wondering
April 29th, 2011
11:12 pm
Not sure what happened to the first part of the post, but it was directed to my friend and admirer, “A Teacher Named Just Wondering” – not sure what I did to get your ire darlin’, but I hope you have yourself a good night.
MrLiberty
April 29th, 2011
11:18 pm
You wouldn’t put up with this from a private business in a competitive market where other choices were competing for your business and where your needs would be met. Why do you put up with it from the government school system??
Oh, that’s right. You don’t have a choice. How’s that working out for you? Would getting government completely out of the picture really be all that bad? Could it possibly be any worse? All it takes is for you to change your mind about the role of government and the system will collapse in upon itself. Its your children’s future after all.
Wow
April 30th, 2011
1:01 am
I would dare say that most teachers, like myself, get into teaching because they want to make a difference. They value education. They have a love for learning and want to pass that on to others. I also believe that most teachers do not choose this profession for the days off. I sat in a class for a week with a man who had been in the business world for 20 plus years as an engineer and decided that he wanted to teach. He struggled. A lot. Teaching a room full of teenagers is not an easy job. I agree with Just Wondering. Please . . . don’t judge until you have tried it for a day. Or a week. Or a school year – regardless of the calendar or the number of days off. I would never get on a blog and judge how a dentist or an IT professional or even a parent did his or her job. After reading all the entries in today’s blog, I couldn’t tell you the difference between a traditional calendar or a balanced one. I couldn’t tell you which side any of the posters supported. I could tell you that most of the posters are angry and defensive and am curious of the real source of these negative emotions.
Wow
April 30th, 2011
1:02 am
By the way, I am also a parent of two school aged children.
Wow
April 30th, 2011
1:03 am
I am also the parent of two school aged children.
CobbMomof3
April 30th, 2011
2:10 am
Great job Fred. It’s about time someone started telling the truth.
Yes, the 3 new board members ran on a platform that promised a return to the traditional calendar. And yes, many people voted them into office specifically for that reason (which is absurd considering the larger issues facing our students’ education), but many of us did not know that we would actually change our minds and end up LIKING the balanced calendar until we had a chance to see the effects on our children. After seeing this, many of us who had in fact voted these people into office realized that we had been wrong and that the balanced calendar was in fact better for our children. At the time they were voted into office, we had not actually LIVED the balanced calendar for more than a few months. With time, the realization that our children were doing better, test scores were improving, (at a time when increased class sizes, etc. gave us every reason to expect them to go down this year) attendance was improving…these truths started to sink in and many of us started changing our minds about the traditional calendar being for the best.
The job of an elected official is to LISTEN to their constituents and be our voice. Ultimately what we voted them into office to do was what was best for our children. If what is best for our children changes with time and experience, I would expect the board members to listen and roll with the changes. To blindly say “I promised to change it, I promised to change it” is crazy. WE are the people they promised it to, and WE (the majority) are saying that we now don’t want to go back to the traditional calendar. WE have found that there is actually a better way. Unless of course it isn’t actually US (the voters) to whom they are trying to keep their promises…
It will be interesting next election to see who the real “majority” is. Or will they then accuse the board of elections of running a “flawed” survey and discount that majority as well?
Normal Dad
April 30th, 2011
5:08 am
As we are seeing all across our nation, this is buyer’s remorse on steroids. A lot of us fell for the anger and fear being sold by the Republican party last year and we are now seeing exactly how wrong we were. I have deprogrammed myself from the cult of conservatism (thank God) and can now see that voting based on anger only leads to disappointment. These dimbulbs on the Cobb School Board are dangerously close to losing accreditation for the entire district because they still operate on the theory that each of their opinions is a fact – they truly do not know the difference.
But, we voted them in. It may be time for a recall movement in order to save our school system from these uneducated hicks.
NY Teaching Vet
April 30th, 2011
7:10 am
I can just skim these posts and see that people are simply rehashing their points on one side of the calendar issue or another. And that illustrates EXACTLY what Mr. Sanderson was saying in his letter – the Board may have been perfectly within their legal rights to change the calendar, yet the process was divisive.
Mike in East Cpbb
April 30th, 2011
7:26 am
Not that anyone will really read this entry, here is my 2 cents.
FIRE FRED SANDERSON
FIRE FRED SANDERSON
FIRE FRED SANDERSON
FIRE FRED SANDERSON
FIRE FRED SANDERSON
FIRE FRED SANDERSON
He started ths and should live with it. My former friend board member LCE (a Fred supporter) said Fred told her to suggest the calendar by using monkey survey, They knew they could make the numbers look like they wanted to. In addtion, he did tell people to write to SACs if they were angry.
FIRE FRED
“JUST DO IT”
Joe Frank
April 30th, 2011
7:51 am
I am growing “weary” of assaults on elected leaders when the “stakeholders” don’t agree with how a system is being run! They run to SACS ( which is no more than a FOR PROFIT enity) and in the case of Delkab and Fulton the Gov. when things do not go the way they see fit. When (or should I say where else) did the inmates take over the asslyum?
The “stakeholders” have pushed the so called balanced calenders so THEY can have more days off.
It is that simple. They have pushed block schedules so that in an eight hour day they get 2 hours off, AND it requires more people and cost more money.
Don’t let the “stakeholders” fool you. They along with GSBA, SACS, and most Supt.’s I have met don’t feel the “public” is capable of electing ANYONE (unless of course it is a retired educator) to tell them how to do their job. Now, they want you to sign that check, pay more taxes, but don’t dare suppose that gives you any right to tell them how to do thier job.
For the record on the subject at hand, NO DATA exist that indicates either calender is better than the other.
War Jacket
April 30th, 2011
7:56 am
Everyone is missing the mark here. We are wasting time bickering about balanced or traditional school calendars while the Chinese and Indians and 35 other countries are turning out better educated children in large part by having students attend school year round.
Wake up America, we are getting our butts kicked regarding education and we spend our time arguing about antiquated calendar issues.
Interesting Observation
April 30th, 2011
8:16 am
Stop blaming ileegals and minorities prior to an influx of illegals and integration the south has always and always will lag when it comes to educational achievement.
Interesting Observation
April 30th, 2011
8:16 am
illegals
X-CVV
April 30th, 2011
8:33 am
The cobb school board is filled with lightweights with their own agendas, not those of voters. Very embarrassing group of “elected” leaders in this county. They’ll be voted out in the next election—mark it down.
@Mike
April 30th, 2011
8:35 am
Mr. Sanderson promised in a public board meeting that the board would have the opportunity to review his response to SACS. I do not believe the system’s attorneys saw the letter. I do not believe the CCSD board reviewed the letter, or it would not have been sent like this. It is a personal attack, and vindictive. I agree it is grounds for firing.
Cobb History Teacher
April 30th, 2011
8:48 am
@Juts Wondering
Well Said!
Teacher-Mom in Cobb
April 30th, 2011
8:51 am
Am now officially a member of Team Fred! I read his entire response, and it was quite accurate. The newest board members are in way over their heads. Unfortunately, all of this is infighting is making the recruiting of a new superintendent even more difficult. Who would want to come to a system that is attacked on a daily basis by its local paper (Marietta Daily Journal) and has a board that can’t agree on anything?
I hope Allison Bartlett enjoys her last year and half in office because she will be voted out come November of 2012.
My 3 cents
April 30th, 2011
8:53 am
@ another comment: just wanted to address the remediation that you mentioned in your post for one of the 5th graders. For the past couple of years there has not been CRCT summer school for students who did not meet in math/reading in 5th & 8th grade (no funds). These students would still have to retake the test but the county put the task on the local schools for coming up with a way to “remediate” the students during the school day. It’s a terrible situation especially because it has to be handled differently from school to school. In one school, there might only be a handful of students that don’t meet so you might only need one or two teachers to work with those students. In another school, you might need 8-10 teachers to do this with 8-12 students in each session for 3 hours a day (which is what summer school would have been). The students who are remediated typically are targeted during the year from their performance in class and on benchmark tests. When the results come back (hopefully the end of this week) if the students passed, they will leave the remediation schedule or begin it. I agree there is a disparity between many of the schools in the county but there are also major differences in enrollment as well. That is something I’d love to see the board address- it’s completely unfair to have a MS with 1400 students surrounded by other MS with 800.
As for the BOE, it’s not so much “they campaigned on the issue so they stood up for it, blah blah blah,” the board is being investigated (and they have had to testify in front of a Grand Jury) because of the manner in which they reversed the calendar and other questionable decisions they have made and potential violations regarding the search for a new superintendent.
For a county that has always patted itself on the back heavily and tooted its own horn, all of this negativity should be a concern for it (as well as why superintendent candidates are backing out of consideration).
And as far as the projects/work over breaks: our principal has sent out a memo before every single break informing the staff that we are not to assign work over the break and this memo is coming from the area superintendent. If your child is getting inundated with projects, you need to take that up with your local school and not attack other teachers on here about it.
Cobb History Teacher
April 30th, 2011
9:00 am
@War Jacket
Two points to go along with what you said.
1. Remember the Chinese and the Indians don’t test everyone. They realize not everyone is cut out for post-secondary education so they place them in technical and vocational programs which in most cases are more important that turning out college graduates. When you have a pipe burst in the winter a well-trained plumber is far more important that a PhD in physics.
2. Remember we’re Americans we want our cake and we want to eat it too. We want a long summer, and breaks during the year (when they’re convenient for the family, and when they’re not we’ll just pull our kids and go to Disney World anyway and expect all the missed work to just go away) but we also want our kids to learn a lot. I want my children to play and have fun and get A’s. I want my child to get multiple chances to turn work in even if it is 2 – 3 weeks late and the class has moved on to a new unit. I want discipline in the schools but I don’t want my child held accountable when they break the rules. When my child is wronged I want revenge, when my child wrongs someone else I want forgiveness.
I could go on.
Teachincobb
April 30th, 2011
9:24 am
Just want to make note of the fact that many parents who were opposed to the balanced calendar originally have changed sides since it was implemented because they see the good it does for the students in lack of burnout. It has been refreshing this year not to see the sheer numbers of absences by teachers and students alike because they get the down time they need to stay fresh and healthy. In addition, office referrals for student misbehavior are down sharply. No one seems interested in the facts, in fact many parents just want their “daycare.”
My wish is that the emails from the board members would be made public. My understanding is that they (the four) spent more time on email trashing other board members and teachers than they did actually looking out for what is best for the students or the county. It is incredibly discouraging ro work for a group who has NO RESPECT for their employees. Cobb is being made a fool of while these four continue to dictate.
Another West Cobb Parent
April 30th, 2011
10:16 am
Teachincobb is correct that the board has no respect for thier emplyees. An effective leader is willing to listen to thier employees. Bartlett has failed to build a cohesive board and refuses to listen to the stakeholders in the district. She turned in her politics card to the three new board members to become chair. Now she has to vote the way the new three members want her to. She should have refused the special meeting in January and taken the time to listen to the stakeholders. I firmly place the blame for this mess on Bartlett as she is not an effective leader.
UGAJD
April 30th, 2011
10:24 am
Public education in metro ATL is a mess… and the mess starts at the top. Thank God my children go to private school.
love2teach
April 30th, 2011
10:32 am
@ Cobb History Teacher and Teacher Mom in Cobb: Well said.
As a teacher, voter, and now active political campaigner in Ms. Bartlett’s district, I hope that Ms. Bartlett understands why this next year and a half my be her last years in office. Her divisive “leadership” style continues to drive down the quality of education in Cobb.
@Love2teach
April 30th, 2011
10:54 am
Do you have a plan to convince the majority of Bartlett’s district, which is not in West Cobb, that she is unfit for office? It’s the first time anyone has ever paid attention to us. We see her as supportive, and could care less what calendar anyone wants. We just want our children educated, and our schools given the same opportunity for success.
AJinCobb
April 30th, 2011
11:32 am
@CobbMomOf3,
“… but many of us did not know that we would actually change our minds and end up LIKING the balanced calendar until we had a chance to see the effects on our children. After seeing this, many of us who had in fact voted these people into office realized that we had been wrong and that the balanced calendar was in fact better for our children. At the time they were voted into office, we had not actually LIVED the balanced calendar for more than a few months. With time, the realization that our children were doing better, test scores were improving, (at a time when increased class sizes, etc. gave us every reason to expect them to go down this year) attendance was improving…these truths started to sink in and many of us started changing our minds about the traditional calendar being for the best.”
Thanks so much for posting the above comment! I grew up in a foreign country where the school calendar is much more like Cobb’s short-lived “balanced” calendar. Therefore, I always favored the idea of the “balanced” calendar – I knew from personal experience that it would be better for most children, and I was deeply frustrated by all the good parents I knew who were campaigning vigorously against it, I guess because it was unfamiliar, and American culture is fairly conservative. People’s first reaction to the idea of change tends to be that they don’t like it and don’t want it and the old way has been working fine.
My child is a high-schooler and I did notice that all his friends (and their parents) were very much liking the regular breaks in the school schedule. They were all very enthusiastic about how it made life management less stressful. Oh well, so much for that. It was nice for 2010-2011.
sup faux pas?
April 30th, 2011
11:46 am
i really am not sure i understand sanderson’s position: he and the former school board members pushed thru a balanced schedule and, when the voting populace shows their displeasure he takes it out on his employers? i think sanderson – like any administrator – is certainly allowed an opinion; but in the final analysis, shouldn’t he be more selective with how he disagrees publicly? after all, he really doesn’t have any say in how he will implement a board decision; he is just required to do what he is told, regardless of his opinion. honestly, how can the board retain someone who so flagrantly demonstrates disdain for its policies? i’m not even debating the worth of one calendar vs. another: i am questioning how sanderson is able to have a job after throwing his bosses under the bus.
Another West Cobb Parent
April 30th, 2011
12:22 pm
Bartlett is not supportive. She’s voiting the way the three new board members are voting. She has to vote with them to return the favor of making her chair. A good leader would have been able to avoid all of this by engaging all of the stakeholders and building an environment where all concerned have a voice. Instead they have pushed thier own personal agendas. Bartlett is clearly the one to blame for this mess in the first place.
I don’t care about the calendar. What I’m furious about is how it was handled and how there was no open discussion on the facts and figures behind the decision. If they had a good reason to vote that way then explain it. Instead they went with the because I said so route.
TimR
April 30th, 2011
12:23 pm
As a Cobb Parent, I am both saddened and proud. While I do not know Fred Sanderson personally, I have found him in public settings to handle himself professionally and always exhibits a strong desire to act in a manner that is best for the education of our children. I am saddened that as a group we would elect individuals that would place their campaign promises and personal objectives above what is best for our county and for our children. Though I am sure he may have a professional opionion, I did not find any instance in Fred’s letter where he expressed a preference for either calendar, only a desire for a board to 1) value the input from the whole of it’s constituents and 2) support and improve the work of the professional administrators tasked with educating our children.
Cobb voter
April 30th, 2011
1:21 pm
To East Cobb Parent. Evidently your children are having a different experience than my child had. He was educated by some very good teachers and some so-so teachers in the Cobb County School System. He did his homework, participated in class, studied, had lots of extra-curriculars. Cobb County schools and teachers gave him such a good foundation that he graduated with distinction from the honors program at his college and did his graduate work at an Ivy League.
This is not about bragging. It is about affirming how good the schools are and can be. I think we are tearing our schools apart arguing over calendars and grading systems. I agree, the last board played bad games, was too secretive, and that Sanderson was complicit in some of it. But, I don’t think changing the calendar or changing the grading system is going to suddenly improve the educational opportunity of our children. They are side issues, touch points that generate more anger against some amorphous “other” than actually deal with improving education for the kids. What made the difference with my child was good teachers and constant parental support. I know Cobb County has many good teachers. I am not so sure about the parents.
NY Teaching Vet
April 30th, 2011
3:08 pm
@ Just Wondering – well done!
South Cobb parent
April 30th, 2011
4:45 pm
The contempt in which career educators are held on this blog and in our society explains much of the failure to educate in our society. Teachers and administrators have a lot more experience with children than most parents whose exposure to groups of children consists of a couple of birthday parties a year that most pay someone else to host. In one year a rookie teacher has more interactions with more groups of children than the average parent in ten years.
Why do we need school boards to begin with? If not to serve as a voice for the community, which the Cobb board clearly is not, what do they do but hinder operations and create false issues? All the people who lament the level of education of Americans might be surprised to learn that the countries which have exemplary systems do not have local school boards.
For the record, Tim Stulz (CCSD board member) may have given speeches about the calendar, but his campaign website had no content whatsoever save his slogan “accountable leadership.” (Accountable to whom is my question.) He did not answer various questions submitted to him by journalists to put in on-line election guides, nor did he answer the questions put to him by the League of Women Voters, and his opponent did. I researched both of them. I find the claims that he ran on this issue laughably false and disingenuous. That he campaigned at all is questionable. He lives in my neighborhood, and no one even knew who he was or that he lived here. And he won by a hair. A mandate, to be sure.
To the Uninitiated and Vacuous Fringe Element
April 30th, 2011
5:31 pm
To the uninitiated and vacuous, you know who you are. You’re the ones that don’t have a clue what uninitiated and vacuous mean, yet portend to know what’s best for the Cobb school system. 99.9% of you could not begin to have the ability to teach a class day to day, year to year, much less have an opinion about how a system is to be run. You have no idea what the position of being caught between a clueless school board; unreasonable, uninvolved parents; unprepared students; and a federal government that just throws policy at a wall to see what sticks. Teachers are caught in the middle and the students will ultimately be the ones to suffer. Why do you think so many who wanted to be a teacher all their lives, acquire years of education, but are ready to quit once they find out the job is more about paperwork and bureaucratic busy work than teaching. Keep treating teachers as second class citizens and the state will end up dealing with a labor union that will be far worse for the state, but better for the teachers. Keep making stupid decisions, see where it gets you.
Cobb pays a connected law firm millions because the school board does not possess the skills or the I.Q. to make educated, legal decisions regarding school system policy. I say get rid of the school board and have a professional superintendent who knows how a system should be run and is engaged with the community.
Patrick Crabtree
April 30th, 2011
5:52 pm
SACS should stay out of political battles and worry about instruction. Boards should disagree and have the ability to change their minds. There is a way to rid the board politically and that involves the voters. Voter’s rights should never be usurped. No one company should have the power to undo voter’s choice. We are public institutions not private companies. The problem is there are those who would like to lie to the public to make everything “rosy.” This is unacceptable. This is bullying at its best, not democracy. Cobb voters….if you don’t like what the board did, recall them and stop short cutting the process.
madaboutmath
April 30th, 2011
7:04 pm
@Teacher-Mom in Cobb–Right on with your comment about the Marietta Daily Journal. Did you see that article where the four dysfunctional board members were called reformers and Davids fighting against Goliath? Made me absolutely sick. I cannot read that newspaper anymore.
Red Herring
April 30th, 2011
7:05 pm
the school superintendents and administrations are overpaid. when they can’t make simple decisions such as these without creating a “war” type atmosphere then something is wrong. Georgia needs to pass a law requiring counties to pay the excess of any salaries of school personnel that are in excess of the Governor’s salary. That would help bring the state’s budget and local budgets under control. There are way too many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to Georgia’s education system and vastly overpaid ones at that. The taxpayers should be the ones in revolt.
MS teacher
April 30th, 2011
7:57 pm
The 3 board members campaigned to vote in a better calendar. I think we can all agree that the calendar they chose is not better.
Chris
April 30th, 2011
8:36 pm
I graduated from Cobb schools and now I’m about to send my first through the system. If it weren’t for the actual educators, I wish I weren’t. You can’t initiate a new calendar on a three year basis, then have people elected on changing it after three months and then vote to change it after six. It’s ridiculous.
My kids and I really aren’t going to be affected by either calendar, but it pains me to know that the new board solicited an opinion and ignored the opinion. I also genuinely feel for the one teacher, for example, that booked her non-refundable wedding and honeymoon for the fall break in September that now isn’t there.
Cobb Educator
April 30th, 2011
9:00 pm
As a Cobb Educator, it pains me to see the system going through all of this turmoil. When I started working in Cobb 20 years ago, I loved the schools and their reputation in the state. I thought about how much better the education system was than where I grew up. Now… I am glad my child is graduating this year. Cobb County Schools have forgotten about our greatest investment- OUR KIDS. NO ONE is putting the children first. EVERY policy implemented should put the children first! The adults are really ruining the futures of so many children because of their own selfish agendas.
Cobb History Teacher
April 30th, 2011
9:12 pm
@Chris
Good point. If they ran on a promise to change the calendar they why didn’t they just change it? Why solicit the citizens of Cobb and then change it even though the survey (de-rigged and all) said leave it be?
Teacher
April 30th, 2011
9:19 pm
It saddens me to read comments from teachers who are so defeated by the difficulties we find ourselves in as educators. Though the challenges we face are very real and mostly uncalled for, our work is noble and necessary. The students who sit in my class are not responsible for the overburdensome federal regulation, disfunctional school boards, or dwindling resources. They are there because they need to learn. And I need to teach them.When they enter my classroom and we begin to work together wonderful things happen. No school board member ever sees it, no empoyee of the Federal Education Department is a witness, no policy maker is privy. Put it happens. I know it. My students know it. And the world is different because of it. No teacher should ever lose sight of how powerful teaching is. They denegrade us in the press, but they don’t know. Politicians blame us for everything, but they don’t know. We know. We know the nobility of helping students reach their highest potential. We’re there when their worlds are expanded and their skills developed and refined. Amidst all the clutter, don’t lose heart.
Cobb History Teacher
April 30th, 2011
9:32 pm
@Chris
Good point. If they ran on a promise to change the calendar why didn’t they just change it? Why solicit the citizens of Cobb and then change it even though the survey (de-rigged and all) said leave it be?
PapaG
April 30th, 2011
10:41 pm
This law giving the governor the power to remove board of education members have only opened the door for superintendents who disagree with board members the opportunity to get even and get them ousted. Many superintendents will use this to their advantage when they can not get their way. This is evident in many of the cases. And why have local boards of education the target? No other elected official can be removed this way. Who removes the governor when he steps out of line? Oh, I forgot. We, the voters do! Give me a break GA legislature. This law needs to be repealed.
money now
April 30th, 2011
11:06 pm
the cobb school board—dysfunctional, embarrassing. These morons are on the board only to get contracts for their connections and family–nothing more. they are totally ineffective at making schools better.
still there
May 1st, 2011
12:04 am
@West Cobb Parent – you say teachers get 10 more weeks than a worker in the private sector to take care of personal business. And then you lay a blame bomb on teachers and accuse of ineptitude.
First, you did not compare the holiday, sick, and vacation days given to those in the private sector. Also the longer a worker stays with a firm/goverment the most leave he/she will have accumulated. Of course that varies by business, but should be considered in your analysis. (And by the way for all readers please remember that teachers are only paid for days worked in school. Teachers do not receive holiday pay or vacation pay for days not worked. We are not paid for required summer training or time wasting conferences. Plus unlike police officers or other public servents prone to furloughs, we have to still do our work and meet the same deadlines even through we are furloughed.)
Second, teachers most often do not have the flexibilty to take off a couple of hours for a doctor visit, banking/legal matter, or even to answer or make important personal phone calls. We do not have the luxury of making up hours missed by working late or working through lunch. We are also responsible/accountable for what happens in our class and with our students even if we are not there. We can’t put anything on hold. Besides many teachers, myself included, do not want to be out since it can take time from learning. However, with 6 week scheduling we are able to keep up with our own health needs better than in the traditional calendar where most work. Also we are measured by our attendence since the school itself has to pay for the sub teacher.
Third, why the “mean” attitude toward teachers anyway? We are just like everyone else just trying to do the best we can in this shrinking economy and are trying to find ways to break through to kids in distractions of the contempory world. We, better than anyone, know the importance of what we do. Stop the hating. We’re doing our best to help your kids. There’s pluses and minuses to any career path. And like every profession there are good, average, and bad. And like everywhere else the bad is the minority. Blame bombs do nothing to problem solve and especially do not move a conversation foward.
Ben
May 1st, 2011
4:22 am
Just another thing for people to whine about. Move on folks no story here.
I_teach_in_Henry
May 1st, 2011
7:12 am
The balanced calendar has reduced the number of teacher absences (saving money), student absences, and mental fatigue. Students do need one day (not a week…!) to swing back into the routine, but the difference was really noticeable when we lost our Feb. break due to make-up snow days. You could tell by the end of Feb. that they were losing focus, and needed a break.
There is NO reason why a balanced calendar cannot begin later in August. However, for some reason, people in GA are allergic to the idea of going to school in June. I keep proposing that we start at the end of August (as we did when I began teaching in GA 15 years ago) and go later into June. June is cooler than August…it makes sense.
Also-although the buildings are air conditioned/heated during the time off, I can promise you, the entire building is NOT (one of the reasons I refuse to go in in the summer. Windowless, hot, humid classrooms are not conducive for working).
Henry parents whined at the beginning of the balanced calendar also. We heard how ‘inconvenient’ it was for them (yes, because our job is NOT to educate; it is to conveniently watch your children). However, I have YET to meet a parent who wants to go back to the traditional calendar. Many have cited how much cheaper family vacations are after Labor Day,and most of our students take family vacations then.
I personally like it; just when my kids are getting mentally fatigued, we have a break. Even the skeptical teachers realized the benefits after seeing how the kids behaved/focused when we lost our break this winter!
I_teach_in_Henry
May 1st, 2011
7:17 am
@still there..
THANK YOU.
You’ve cleared up (AGAIN) so many myths about our “easy, cushy, jobs.” Recently someone said how “nice it must be to have all that paid time off.” Imagine their shock when I explained that we are not paid; we get checks over the breaks because they stretch out my 190 day salary over 12 months.
Also, you forgot to mention the totally worthless “contracts” we sign. Ours don’t have our salary OR work location; they use the “the legislature hasn’t set the salary scale,” excuse to weasel out of the law.
My contract also specified I would work for 190 days and get paid for 190 days. However, in Henry, we took 8 furlough days this year (6 in 2009-2010), and our salaries were adjusted accordingly.
This is despite that “legally, binding, contract.”
Now, had I gone to the BOE and said, “Hey! I know I signed this legally binding contract to work 190 days and get paid for that, but I’ve decided to take 8 days off-and you will still pay me,” I’d be fired.
An administrator I know told me once that the contracts are for the BOE-definitely NOT for the teachers…..
Chillahill43
May 1st, 2011
7:36 am
Hey if y’all can read this thank a teacher. Why? Because It’s not parents teaching their kids. No the parents are too busy bi$;!ing and moaning about why the teachers are overpaid And underworked. These same parents that sit and watch American Idol and play playstation games with their kids are too self absorbed with their own needs to help the kids learn. Johnny cant read- well I took em to school in my new vulvo- johnny cant write? Hmm I got him a new smartphone, hz wrting semz gud 2 me- kewl!!! Johnny cant think? Hmmm maybe its because he stayed up till midnight watching Rasslin- oh johnny can name every wrestler to walk across the stage on TV. Show him a picture of Shakespeare and watch that befuddled look appear.
The parents don’t want to help their kids! They want to blame a teacher. Start doing your jobs at home, maybe a No or two; You know, be a parent not one of their pals.
And no I’m not a teacher, but I do know that 90% of you People out there couldn’t teach. But yall got the blame game and bit($ing and moaning down good. It takes dedication and hard work to teach. And while ya’ll or at Disney, most teachers are working to prepare for the next year. Not expecting someone else to do their jobs for them . Like most of todays parents.
Ron
May 1st, 2011
8:16 am
Ben is right. Many years ago I took a class on stress control. One of the first things I learned is that you should only worry about things you can control. I guess many parents think they control everything that goes on and without accepting reality they like to complain and blame others – especially teachers. Apparently this makes them feel better about their own inadequacies and deficiencies. Get over it.
confused
May 1st, 2011
9:20 am
A balanced calender school year is a joke. More breaks is not the way to improve education. If you still feel you need one then why not start in September and end in late June? And while I am at it SACS is a corrupt joke in itself. They have thier own agenda and ideas and they can strong arm school systems to run the way they want. Thier system of giving the superintendent almost total control takes that control one step farther away from the voters.
TeacherMom4
May 1st, 2011
9:34 am
Just an aside about the Disney price complaint (so important, right?): The Northeast has had February vacation forever. I grew up with half the population of my state headed to Disney World the week of Presidents Day. Their pricing for February did not change when Cobb County, GA decided to have vacation then; it’s always been that way. It is high season for them.
I see the value of a February break because the spring burnout rate is so high in both kids and adults in school. I think it’s especially bad here because school starts so early in August. We’ve been at it for a long time before spring break, with only a few weeks left of school after. The fact that we have 2 weeks in the winter doesn’t really remedy that because we’ve been in school for so long already. To be honest, I would far rather have the schedule I grew up with: start after Labor Day, Columbus Day off, Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving off, 1.5 weeks at Christmas, semester ends mid-January, week of Presidents Day off, one week in April (week of the 18th–Patriots Day for Mass. and Maine), end of school in mid-June. But, really, it’s not worth getting all worked up about. I get paid the same regardless of start and end dates or vacation scheduling.
Like many other teachers on this blog, I had other jobs in private industry prior to teaching. I can honestly say that while I enjoyed days off in those jobs, I didn’t need them like I do now. I could go six months or a year without vacation and not get too stressed out. Teaching is a whole different level of stress, most of which is caused by factors beyond my control.
Teasley Parent
May 1st, 2011
11:48 am
I am a product of the 1960s and 1970s Cobb County School system. I can honestly say it is embarrassing to watch the Board on television. It’s sometimes sounds like a SNL skit but all too often I realize this isn’t comedy on purpose. I don’t see one person on the board that seems head and shoulders above the others. They are kind of a motley crew that seems more into their own petty bickering than anything else. I was against an August 5th start last year and anyone who supports that calendar I think is more focused on Cobb County funded baby sitting than their child’s education.
Fed up in Cobb
May 1st, 2011
11:55 am
With all the hype about the calendar issue, many have forgotten about last year’s debacle regarding the RIF. Fred Sanderson and the other BOE members approved the system whereby they allowed a brand new teacher evaluation system to be used to “justify” the RIF of dozens of teachers, many of whom were highly effective and beloved.
A majority of those teachers were “re-hired” by the CCSD however, several EXCELLENT and proven, highly effective teachers – including one teacher whose students’ test scores were the highest in the grade level of the school- were “let go” due to personality conflicts with their principal and assistant administrators who, in turn, inflated ridiculously minor issues into something worthy of ending these teachers hard earned careers.
I am the FIRST person to agree that teachers who are “simply earning a paycheck” with no effectiveness (or worse) in student achievement should be let go. The problem is that the system that Fred and the BOE enacted didn’t really care about true teacher effectiveness and there were no legitimate ways to counteract the system that was put into place. Despite what some think, there are no unions in Georgia and the advocacy groups that pretend to be in support of teachers also are beholden to administrators.
When you consider that for one teacher, at least 40 different parents/taxpayers of Cobb, who, by the way, ARE supposed to be the people who maintain the top spot in the CCSD organization chart:
http://www.cobbk12.org/centraloffice/superintendent/10-11_org_chart_0211.pdf
when we tried to speak up regarding this teacher’s PROVEN effectiveness with our own children, our opinions were COMPLETELY dismissed and disregarded as irrelevant. Instead of investigating the administrator’s/ assistant administrator’s intentions, they fired the teacher and promoted the administrator! WHAT?
Now, the “word on the street” at school, where this highly regarded teacher was Rif’d, is that the assistant administrator has committed several MAJOR CRCT violations. So, Fred, are you going to look into this situation and have SACS look into the truth of the assistant administrator’s incompetence (there are MANY more instances of incompetence that could be shared) or is the calendar issue going to be more important to you in the waning days of your contract?
If you continue to ignore this issue and instead continue to worry more about who wins in the calendar issue, without paying attention to the REAL needs and success of our children, it will prove to me and the rest of Cobb that the CCSD has completely lost its way.
Fred, please make your final swan song a good one, the children of Cobb need it. Let’s worry more about substance than about appearance.
TimeOut
May 1st, 2011
2:59 pm
In many other first-world nations where high school teachers also work a ten-hour day, first and last classes of the day are cancelled (teachers are not responsible for ’supervision’ so they may study/work where they choose) and classes during the rest of the day are covered by other teachers. There are no substitutes. Martyrs don’t staff the classrooms. Rather, teachers hold hard-won, coveted positions for whom the community members in general demonstrate much respect. This isn’t Mars. These are other places on this planet. Our students deserve no less than those of other prosperous countries. They are well-served by a community that holds them accountable for the use of their time, their conduct, etc. Teens who share minimal or no accountability for their academic performance or their respectful conduct toward others will not profit academically or in terms of character-building as much as those who do. Many of our parents are doing an outstanding job. The community does not always make this easier. Frequently, the ’standards’ of many interfere with responsible parents’ attempts to raise their children to be the kind of people we would all want living next door. Such people can contend with any calendar, any time. However, a shorter summer, perhaps no more than six weeks, would allow more class time. This will be of benefit to students who work while they are there. For others, it just increases their opportunities to hassle and bully the former, as well as their teachers. If we could ‘just say no’ to those who refuse to learn, who refuse to behave, we could accomplish so much more.
Dr. Craig Spinks/ Augusta
May 1st, 2011
6:55 pm
Isn’t it time for us Georgians to replace our excuse- and appearance-based public schooling with results-based public education?
Warrior Woman
May 2nd, 2011
11:18 am
Sanderson threw the school board under the bus because the new members refused to cave to his chosen calendar, instead of representing the people that elected him. There is nothing unethical about keeping your word, which the new members did. Sanderson and the old guard are symptomatic of what is wrong with Cobb schools. Sanderson created this debacle by encouraging people that support the balanced calendar to write SACS.
@Just Wondering – YOU may not give assignments over breaks, but that is NOT what my children have experienced in CCSD schools. Assignments over breaks are routine in their schools, to the point of sometimes have a major project in every class assigned a day or 2 before break and due within a day or 2 after break. We’ve had teachers tell us that assignments will be due the Tuesday after break instead of the Monday when school resumes, so that the teacher can say they’ve complied with county policy.
@CobbDad – From what I’ve seen, it’s Banks, Crowder-Eagle, and Sanderson that are unethical and dysfunctional.
Posterchild
May 2nd, 2011
2:02 pm
Does anyone know if the calendar issue is set in stone for now? I might be working in Cobb next year, so it would be good to know. Thanks!
Just Wondering...
May 2nd, 2011
5:02 pm
@ Warrior Woman – then you need to take up the issue with your children’s principal, and not complain about it here, where it does no good. My children, in competitive East Cobb schools, didn’t have a problem with work assigned over breaks. I don’t (nor do most of my colleagues) give projects over breaks – your children’s situation doesn’t negate that. My reality is my truth, and yours is yours. It doesn’t make either of us incorrect (or liars). With 69 elementaries, 25 middle, and 16 high schools, don’tcha just think it might be likely that we could both be right??
What, me worry??
May 2nd, 2011
10:27 pm
Worried about the calendar? Dissent among the board? Maybe they could get some tips from these two on being lovers, and not fighters:
http://www.ajc.com/news/cobb/teens-accused-of-having-932694.html
@just wondering
May 3rd, 2011
6:34 am
All Cobb Schools are different, because all principals are different – some excellent, and some that …well, need more “training”. I too have issues at a Cobb Middle School with teachers who have not entered grades in Pinnacle since March. We also had “packets” of work due over break. We also had grades taken on CRCT practice tests (?) Sadly, the principal is contacted, and does nothing. In fact, the principal pretty much does whatever he/she wants. This is the legacy of Fred Sanderson – if you are or your husband is a close friend of Mr. Sanderson’s, there is no accountability. His letter to SACS did not surprise me one bit. Hopefully, a new superintendent with no ties to the district will be hired to clean up this mess.