For those who wish Georgia schools went back to "the old" schedule..

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/shared-blogs/ajc/politicalinsider/entries/2008/06/17/kathy_cox_to_advocate_later_sc.html

...I think I got that link right.  Cathy Cox is trying to persuade local schoolboards to do what most everyone else outside of the South does, which is starting school no earlier than the 3rd week in August.  Kids still go 180 days, just extend that late spring exit up until the 2nd week of June, when it's still pleasantly warm instead of horrendously hot, sticky, and humid. 

Our superintendent gave some sort of hrumph hrumph comment to our local paper about needing to start so early to make sure our CRCT scores would get back in time.  That is outright boochit, pure and simple.  Any band director, coach, or school board member will tell you that the REAL reason is FOOTBALL!  Yup, every high school depends on football to make its biggest chunk of money.  I mentioned this to our band director the other year, as the kids in color guard & band would spend 8 hours for 2 weeks in mid-July heat.  Several kids, including the football players practicing in their gear, would get sick, pass out, or come home and simply collapse from heat exhaustion.  I mentioned to him once that wouldn't it be great to follow suit of most other states and push the school calendar forward three weeks.  The idea, obviously, was unthinkable to him -- because, of course, it would put our school behind the football schedule. 

 Besides, starting the beginning of August has obviously not helped to boot Georgia's CRCT scores -- far from it.

That wouldn't be so hard if Cathy Cox got it pushed through as law.  They tried that a few years ago in the GA legislature, it didn't go through.  I guess they're waiting for some major lawsuit to make any changes. 

You may not have this opinion, but if you do -- ask Cathy Cox what you can do, and garner support from your county!

I thought one of the reasons Cathy Cox wanted to push the start later had something to do with more time to improve CRCT scores. Maybe I misunderstood the first reports.

I know last year there were problems of kids getting sick from the heat on the buses in August. Reports of the temp on the bus being over 100 WITHOUT any kids on there. Also, around Atlanta many of the metro systems have overcrowded buses -- 3 high schools per seat, kids standing.

Of course the football schedule is a top priority. The other one is the CRCT results -- never mind if they kids are actually learning!

You gotta move north, people!  Schools here start the week of Labor Day, usually the Wednesday after.  Football practice cannot begin until August 1. 180 days brings the last day of school to around the 21st of June.  If we've lucky, September isn't too hot and neither is June. It's worked for years.

What happened to getting June, July AND August off for summer vacation???  I'd LOVE to go back after Labor Day, but I don't see it happening.  I go back July 31st and the kids go back Aug. 6th.  fun, fun

Peachy, it probably won't happen as far as going back after Labor Day -- but with enough push from parents & teachers, we could get a 3rd week in August -- that would be better to me than the 4th!  I go back a week from Wednesday!

Here in Pennsylvania some schools start the day after Labor Day, but many start the last week of August.  We start August 25th this year, and folks here complain about starting before Labor Day.  I had no idea Georgia schools started so early.   Our elementary school is not air-conditioned, and the kids are all a sweaty mess the first couple of weeks. 

Our kids start Aug. 18th and are out before Memorial Day. Luckily our schools are air conditioned.  That is no relief for those boys out practicing for football. I wish schools would go back to the Labor Day to Memorial Day schedule! to heck with those danged test scores, they don't prove one darn thing!

Our schools do the same thing and we are not air conditioned.   It is about football scheduling for us also.   Our DIL starts the last week in July, and school starts early in Aug.   We also have heat days if the temp gets so high the kids get out at 1:00 but they still have football practice. 

 If they would quit giving them so many days off during the year, we wouldn't have to start so early or end so late.  Can someone tell me why we would need a teacher work day before the kids can go back after Christmas break?  Our kids get out Dec. 19th at noon and don't go back until Jan 6.  I remember when we were in school we would get a half day on the 23rd and we were usually back on the 2nd.  I also count 3 full days for staff developement and 6 (1/2 day) early release for staff development, final grades and district workshops and collaboration.  The only month we don't have some kind of day off is in April because heaven knows you wouldn't want to disrupt MAP testing in any way. 

We start school Aug 19.  Our DD is a teacher and I work for the school district as a baker. 

A work day may be needed to get final grades for the semester out for the end of the year.  Half days don't affect by work -- we have to feed the kids before they are sent home because some kids don't have any food at home. 

Personally I like the time off but I don't get paid for those days.  I'm sure the school board hears from parents who are planning on traveling over the Christmas break.  The school district isn't going to be able to make everyone happy.

I can see the teacher work day before kids go back in January -- we have report cards due and there is certainly no time in the holiday-crazed month of December to get ducks in a row for winter and planning, of course, for the CRCT state test (snore). 

We almost had a decent schedule last year -- kids went back August 11, there was a long weekend in October (Fri/Monday), which was a vast relief after, what to many teachers, is the longest time of the school year (late summer & fall), and a long holiday in February.  This year?  Teachers have TWO workdays in October and one Monday off.  Then they give us an entire week for Thanksgiving when we get out for Christmas break three weeks later!  It's like they crammed all of our break into the end of the year, started kids back the beginning of August, and made sure we were to be out of school by the earliest possible in the 3rd week of May. 

For the past several years, we've still had chilly weather snaps in the last couple of weeks before school got out.  Most people don't even have pools up before the end of May because the water is still too cold. 

I think about how stupid it looks for Southern state schools to insist on going back to early when the northern states still realize it's too hot and sticky. 

JerseyGal262:

You gotta move north, people!  Schools here start the week of Labor Day, usually the Wednesday after.  Football practice cannot begin until August 1. 180 days brings the last day of school to around the 21st of June.  If we've lucky, September isn't too hot and neither is June. It's worked for years.

We've lived here in Texas since April 1981, and I distinctly remember school starting right after Labor Day.  Now it's early to mid August.  We don't have any kids so I don't know the reasoning behind the earlier starts.

 Out here in the West*LOL* The kids go back the day after labor day... and normally are out 3rd week in June... they get Thanksgiving week off, 2+ weeks at Christmas, a week in February, a week in April.. and 1/2 days every Friday...along with many other "days" off thru the year.

.This year with flood and snow days the school district I live in finished on July 16...Summer school runs thru last week of August this year.. and back to school day after labor day!

JerseyGal262:

You gotta move north, people!  Schools here start the week of Labor Day, usually the Wednesday after.  Football practice cannot begin until August 1. 180 days brings the last day of school to around the 21st of June.  If we've lucky, September isn't too hot and neither is June. It's worked for years.

I don't see why they don't still do that, beginning after Labor Day, that is. That is the way it used to be here, but, not anymore. Last of August, though, usually is when they go back. Not as bad as the first part.

But, when we got out, and my kids until later, after labor day, we still got out first of June.