My understanding was that although there was overwhelming support for this calendar from parents, the county went back to the old calendar for one main reason. On the balanced calendar, Six Flags and other summer venues in Cobb were unable to remain open those weeks in August and it impacted tax revenue collected, enough so that it might lead to higher taxes When faced with an already serious budget shortfall, the board went back to the old calendar to restore the revenue. I LOVED the balanced calendar but not enough to pay more taxes to keep it. I am signing the petition, but I felt obligated to share what I heard and read.

#4: - consider this

 

#4: - consider this

It's not about tax money... it's about "bribes" aka Campaign Donations from Six Flags/other summer venues to get these idiots on the school board re-elected. It has nothing to do with your kids, your family, the county or anything except greed.

... is just wrong.  The amount of taxes collected at sumer venues in 2 weeks would be a small amount.  Additionally, those taxes would not go towards schools as we fund schools with property taxes.  Only a small portion of the taxes collected in those two weeks would go to the county anyway.  Most winds up in the states coffers.

Now, I wouldn't put it past those venues to pressure the board to alter the calendar so that they have those 2 additional weeks of revenue coming in.  Some of these places only open 3-4 months so those 2 weeks make a big dent in their revenues.  But no one has shown me any evidence this occurred.

The fact of the matter is that WE elected 3 new board members who pledged to implement the traditioanal calendar.  Regardless of their motives, it is WE who selected them to serve and they've done exactly what they pledged.  A pitifully low turnout lets these kinds of shenanigans happen:

http://elections.cobbcountyga.gov/pdf/OfficialResults/2010/2010Nov2ndOfficialReport.pdf

 

So all 3 of these board members came in with less than 20,000 citizens of Cobb voting on the matter.

Signing petitions is great and all..... but how about some of you show up at the polls next time!  Educate yourself on when these elections are and exercise your civic duty EVERY TIME.

#4: - consider this 

 Your understanding is wrong. Sorry

#4: - consider this 

 The Six Fag issue is totally bogus. Those two weeks of tax revenue are more than offset by higher substitute teacher fees for teachers who now have to take off work for any medical appts., etc. That is not the reason, just a convenient excuse to wow the uneductaed and disinterested among us to think our taxes would be impacted.

#4: - consider this 

 Not true, Six flags and White Water stay open longer and earn even more because of the week off in September and have for years becasue of surrounding counties that are out.  They made third and fourth quarter last year, thanks to us being out as well as surrounding counties and extremely warm weather.  Make no mistake they do not rely on Cobb students for employees either.  You do pay higher taxes it is called SPLOST.  Which by the way, where are all the improvements that were supposed to happen?? Our high school has needed a new roof for longer than we have lived here, any funds they touch seem to evaporate.   Why are we cutting 300 teachers when we are top heavy? Did you know that our administrators have yet to have taken their pay cut let alone gone without a raise?  The people who work with our children took a pay cut 4 years ago, and have seen only increase on cost of benefits.  By cutting our teachers we directly impact the students, not  acceptable.  Let's start with excess administrators, and no raises for them, I am not really worried about whether they will leave us, where are they going? Frankly some of them need to go.