Cobb County School District

Cobb County BOE approves 3-Year Balanced Calendar

Board of Education Approves Three-Year Balanced Calendar

The Cobb County Board of Education approved a balanced calendar for the 2010-2011, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years during its Nov. 11, 2009 meeting. Each school year will begin the first week of August and end the Friday prior to Memorial Day in May. The 180-day balanced calendar includes one-week mid-term breaks for students and teachers in September and February and a full week of Thanksgiving holidays. The first semester of each school year will conclude before the winter holidays in December.

In September 2009, the Board requested that Superintendent Fred Sanderson develop different calendar options for the Board to review. Four options were presented during the October 14 work session with varying start dates and breaks. These options were posted for review on the District Web site and all school Web sites, along with contact information for the seven Board members. The District used its automated calling system to notify 63,000 student households of the calendar options, and also included calendar information in its regular Board of Education e-mail newsletter, which reaches more than 24,000 community members. More than 8,400 Cobb County teachers and employees responded to a District survey asking which survey option they preferred. More than 50 percent voted in favor of the balanced calendar option.

The Cobb County School District will monitor the impact of a balanced calendar on key operational areas, including student achievement, attendance, and discipline, as well as teacher morale and retention. Evidence and data from some districts that have adopted balanced calendars appear to support at least some correlation between the calendar change and improvements in these areas. The District also will track potential impacts on maintenance and utility costs.

Conference weeks and any early release days for the approved calendars will be determined at a later date.

2010-2011 School Year Calendars

• 2010-11 School Year at a Glance Calendar

2011-2012 School Year Calendars

• 2011-12 School Year at a Glance Calendar

2012-2013 School Year Calendars

• 2012-13 School Year at a Glance Calendar