The Cobb County Board of Education voted 6-1 on Oct. 26 to approve a rolling calendar so that the start date will continue to be Aug. 1 — but not opening on a Saturday or Sunday.
That means the school calendar will be on the website at cobbk12.org for two years at a time on an ongoing basis. Board member Scott Sweeney was opposed because he said his emails show about 76 percent want a later start date. However, board members Randy Scamihorn and Susan Thayer said most of their feedback shows their constituents want the Aug. 1 starting date.
Cobb Superintendent Chris Ragsdale first proposed this idea during the board’s work session on Oct. 11. Ragsdale said then, “I’ve received emails on all sides of the calendar. There is not a single calendar option that will make everybody happy. I would not recommend bringing up the calendar every single year.”
In answer to Sweeney, Ragsdale said there is “no empirical data showing benefits of any calendar above any other calendar.”
For students who are involved in summer programs such as study abroad, Ragsdale said their start date can be considered “on a case-by-case basis.”
About the Author
