It's not too soon to start thinking about 2012-13 school calendars in Wake County.
The school board is scheduled to discuss and vote Tuesday on the 2012-13 calendars that will be used for traditional-calendar, year-round and modified-calendar schools. The board in the past has usually done the calendars over different dates to allow for changes and to get more public comment.
In this case, the plan is to take care of it all in one day with discussion during committee of the whole and adoption later that evening at the regular meeting.
Click here to view the draft calendars.
One interesting thing is that the calendars call for a two-hour delay on Election Day. It's expected that there will be a big turnout in 2012 for the Presidential Election.
The Wake County Board of Elections has regularly asked the school board to close schools on Election Day because so many schools are used as polling places. But, yet again, it looks like the school system will only go so far as to delay the start of classes.
UPDATE
Here's what was ultimately agreed to.:
At the request of school board vice chairwoman Debra Goldman, traditional-calendar schools will be closed for students on Election Day. But in order to make sure that staff will be on campus to open the building for poll workers, it will become a teacher workday.
They'll move the workday on Sept. 26 to Nov. 6. They'll move the vacation day on Dec. 21 to Sept. 26, which is Yom Kippur so that Jewish students and employees can still have the day off.
They'll move the early-release day from Dec. 7 to Dec. 21 so that people can start their winter break early.
But Deborah Prickett joined Democrats in rejecting Goldman's request to move up spring break a week. The proposal would have school closed for students from March 25 to April 2.
Goldman had said it would be more family friendly since moving it up a week would also encompass Passover. But the dissenters were worried the change would result in unequal numbers of days in the quarters.
As for modified-calendar schools, Election Day will become a workday. They'll now go to school on Jan. 2.
But the plan to close schools on Election Day for year-round schools was scrapped because of the difficulty finding another day when tracks 1, 2 and 4 would also be in session.
Year-round schools will stick with the original plan of opening on a two-hour delay on Election Day.
Comments
Yom Kippur....
Tue, 05/03/2011 - 21:47 — Bob_SconceWhile I've always thought Yom Kippur should be off, it's unusual to see this much concern for the Jewish holidays. What's the driver? I could assume Goldman was Jewish, but having Christian friends (including a priest) with traditional Jewish last names, that's not a good indicator.
...
Tue, 05/03/2011 - 22:02 — SideburnsI think she's Jewish. I do find it odd, however, that she always wants to be Mrs. Claus in the Raleigh Christmas parade.
Hey, if Neil Diamond can put
Tue, 05/03/2011 - 22:57 — jenmanHey, if Neil Diamond can put out a Christmas album. . . . :-)
eh....
Tue, 05/03/2011 - 22:31 — Bob_SconceDidn't think about the Mrs. Claus thing. But, realistically, Santa's about as Christian as the Tooth Fairy. And there are lots of people whose beliefs aren't easily categorized.
Fabulous sense of humor,
Tue, 05/03/2011 - 22:10 — duvalFabulous sense of humor, perhaps!?!
Can this board create just a little more chaos
Tue, 05/03/2011 - 20:49 — FSandYOUfor families by continuing to serve up 250 different calendar/schedules in Wake County? I mean Good Freaking Gosh, I've never seen a more ridiculous system.
Calander
Tue, 05/03/2011 - 19:27 — mommy59Too bad they gave the week in between Palm Sunday and Easter off or at least not have school the day after Easter.You can go somewhere for springbreak but can't be with family that is far away for Easter because there is school on April 8.Just like this year April 25 was a school day.
Also too bad they open back schools the day after News Years after taking away December 21!
First calander was the best!
It wasn't spelled out but
Tue, 05/03/2011 - 20:07 — KeungHui (author)It wasn't spelled out but logically it would look like they'd also have to make Easter Monday a day off with this change. Waiting for it to be clarified when they vote later tonight.
Question then
Tue, 05/03/2011 - 11:49 — Dove314If this is true?
The board in the past has usually done the calendars over different dates to allow for changes and to get more public comment.
Then should this change to doing it all in one day to be interpreted as a signal that they do NOT want public comment this year?
Yes, it's true. Not sure why
Tue, 05/03/2011 - 15:39 — KeungHui (author)Yes, it's true. Not sure why they're doing it all in one day this time, especially considering that Goldman is proposing some changes at the table.
One day is long enough
Tue, 05/03/2011 - 16:22 — FSandYOUEspecially with an issue that should've been resolved years ago.
5 ES schools being recommended by Tata to change. 2 more than I predicted and 9 short of actually doing something good here. Again, as predicted.
A failure on all accounts school board and superintendent!
I've got to have more coffee or something
Mon, 05/02/2011 - 20:53 — FSandYOUHow in the _ _ _ _ is it they are going to be finalizing 2012-13 when we still have an assignment plan that's YET to be created for that year?
More importantly, we have 14 schools that could be totally turned upside down for next year, 2011-12, that have not been decided on yet. You do realize the seriousness of what 14 schools collapsing from 4 tracks to 1 track could mean for 1,000s of us don't you? Or do you? I've yet to see a story talking about the seriousness of what this could/will mean for all those who could be in the flight path of this one.
I guess it isn't important enough to cover in-depth.
You can set the
Mon, 05/02/2011 - 21:29 — KeungHui (author)You can set the instructional calendar without necessarily knowing which schools will be following it.
You can also wipe your rump
Tue, 05/03/2011 - 00:24 — FSandYOUwithout toilet paper, but I wouldn't suggest it.
So just to be clear, since much of this never is
Mon, 05/02/2011 - 18:09 — FSandYOUWill they totally resolve tomorrow what they are going to do with the 14 under capacity schools possibly going from 4 tracks to one track or do we need more surveys and public comment?
If so my bet is 3-4 schools change the rest get the shaft. Again.
Tata says he'll make a
Mon, 05/02/2011 - 18:17 — KeungHui (author)Tata says he'll make a recommendation for each of the schools tomorrow. He wouldn't say Friday how many, if any, he'd recommend going single track. Once he makes a recommendation, it's up to the school board whether to accept it. For instance, Tata could say he doesn't recommend changing a school but a majority of board mebmers still wants to make the change.
So they won't really be able to vote
Mon, 05/02/2011 - 18:19 — FSandYOUor finalize a thing tomorrow regarding those 14 schools then. Got it.
The board is supposed to
Mon, 05/02/2011 - 18:30 — KeungHui (author)The board is supposed to vote on the recommendations during the regular meeting. We'll find out during the work session which schools are being recommended by Tata to make the change.