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Year-around schools here do not have a 'rotating' section of kids. We have a few 200 day schools and I believe one year around school. It is certainly worth consideration. We would have to pay teachers more since they would be working year round. Does anyone think teachers would want this? Certainly has some interesting aspects., no second jobs etc... but I can't figure out how four sections of children working rotating in and out would work on a day to day schedule. Would the teachers have kids that were on chapters 1-4, in one class 5-8 in another and then 8-12 in another? The cost of additional buildings would be saved, but how much would it cost to run the schools?

Morgan, I'm just wondering in your short time in Guilford County where you were able to locate 51% of the voters who will vote to approve another school bond.

Haven't found any takers yet but that wouldn't necessarily stop a referendum from taking place.

So, are we to believe that this new bond referendum now receiving much discussion the reason for the recent campaign to clean-up Terry Grier's image as a master educator? He's sure getting a lot of press in the media these days, television and print. I guess the powers know that the disasters in school construction that have occurred in the past couple of years might put a damper on the enthsuiasm of the voters, you think? Gotta polish up that public trust, don't we?

That's the one thing that the power brokers can't control, what happens when the voters go to the poll and actually vote. However, I suppose that some political deals can be made again to buy the necesary votes. It's happened before. But, that's the last thing that we need in Guilford County is more property taxes piled higher and deeper.

Oh, when you hear a politician ask you to vote to spend some of your money because "It's for the Children", grap your wallet and run as fast as you can. It's another scam to loosen your wallet.

There would be more money needed to pay janitors, office help and teachers. More money would be needed for energy costs and busing. What Guilford County employee would buy into year round schools?

This threat comes up just in time to promote the school bonds.

I think many teachers might be interested in working year round. Brooks Global is 200 days now, and they are always fully staffed. As you said it is extra money, and many of our teachers work 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet.

I'd sure like to know what Marcie and Candy Boy think of this plan!!

Morgan...LIFT THE BANS!!

I have two friends who left Johnson St. Elementary when it became "year round". Personally, I think many teachers would want to transfer. But instead of another school, it would be out of this county. Also many TA's work now because of the hours, not for the the "money". IMO, I feel the majority of teachers would not go for this.

I'm a teacher and I would like it just for the fact I wouldn't have to worry about a second job. It would also be easier to teach kids that haven't had a whole summer break to forget material and get out of routines. It still amazes me how little students seem to retain over the summer.

On the other hand, my therapy bills might go up if I didn't have a chance for some R&R over summer break. The summer also allows me to finally be able to work on new lesson plans, get materials ready for the fall, and read up on new ideas. Trust me, a teacher's work is never done and summer break is only a break from the kids and not the work. Teachers already work year round. A year round schedule would finally pay us for it.

"lift the bans",

Don't worry. Jennifer doesn't have that much power. Those that are banned could post if they wanted to..they just choose NOT to. The N&R likes to make it look as if they are performing a community service by allowing comments, but then they delete and censor. It's a useless forum, just like the paper version. I do appreciate the free paper though that I've been receiving for over a year now. My cats sure enjoy taking dumps on it.

Marci,

Is it just me or has the CB become totally bereft of any meaningful or significant subjects since the departure of Bruce B.? All that appears on these boards anymore is pure pablum, and anything that would be truly meaningful is sanitized.

Why do I have the feeling that all of the media in this county has suddently shut-down on any critical comment of issues within the schools? Does anyone else smell a cleasing campaign in prep for the next huge bond appeal? who has the power to make that happen so completely?

Year round schools. I bet the NC tourism lobbying group'll have a lot of input in on this matter if it starts to gather momentum.

They can forget about any chances of a new bond being passed what with the County & City discussing a potential tax increase and in addition on the heels of a bond campaign that was passed a few years ago. Ain't gonna happen.

Am I hearing right that my buddy C Boy has been banned from The Chalkboard?

Bubbie

Like Marcy said C Boy and Marcy could post if they want to. Lots of posters have access to different computers and IP addresses. They just choose not to play games.

Stormy,

That was uncalled for, accusing Morgan and Jennifer of not posting in your word "meaningful" subjects for discussion, which I can only assume in your case is primarily the topic of dumping Dr. Grier and lynching Deena Hayes. Probably, as the majority of Guilfordians would agree, except for the NHP bunch, these topics have run their course and as has been evidenced by the lack of new faces in the upcoming BOE election people don't think it's as big an issue as a vocal minority does.

Bubba,

Uncalled for or not, pablum is pablum. Why maintain this CB if the only subjects have no interest generated and people don't discuss? People have interest in those things that have serious impact upon their childrens' educations. What is being posted here now has on impact on that. It is obvious from the lack of activity, there is nothing of interest here, but that may be by design. As the Democrats say, it's just Truth to Power.

Stormy,

I do agree that things have quieted down on the CB. I suppose the congregants have said about all there is to say about these matters. Things'll probably start picking up around election time, and school's out in a short while so things related to school typically take a back seat to vacations & losing weight.

My wife teaches at one of those longer-year schools. I was unaware of a year-round one. Which is it?

Students do have retention issues over summer. It might be thanks to the overstimulation of video games and understimulation of anti-intellectual culture (and parents). It is good, though, for kids to get to travel and play...non-video game play, that is. Couldn't hurt parents, either. Especially if they take advantage of learning opportunities at their travel destinations.

Stephens Dubner & Levitt, however, have startlingly shown the lack of correlation between school achievement/performance and travel, along with many other shibboleths, in their book "Freakonomics". Turns out the likely true motors of academic success are:
parental economic status (including neighborhood);
parental involvement in PTA and teacher conferences;
age of mother's first pregnancy (after 30 is best for odds of higher economic status);
presence of books in the home (even if parents don't read to the kids...as long as parents own not only kids' books but are seen to respect reading and literature themselves);