When the Williamson County School Board meets next Monday, it expects to see a new proposed 2010-11 academic calendar, one that meets two criteria: That students start no earlier than Aug. 12 and that first semester exams be completed before Winter Break.

Board member Susan Graham, who represents Brentwood’s District 7, said that the three proposed 2010-11 academic calendars released prior to last Thursday’s board work session provided a good starting point for the board.

District 5 representative Gary Anderson agreed. “It is important to note that the three proposals are in response to the parameters that the board set for the calendar committee to consider in their discussions of developing a calendar.

“I do not want people to think that these three were just plucked out of the air; they were drawn up based on information they were provided by the board as options the board wanted to see.”

“People just wanted to look at different possibilities to see what those calendars would look like,” Graham said. Those possibilities included starting after Labor Day, having exams after Winter Break and looking at a variety of break scenarios.

Brentwood’s representatives all reported receiving hundreds of calls and emails about the calendars, and those comments helped direct the board to ask for more proposals to consider when it gathers on Nov. 16. 

District 6’s Terry Leve said he had received 477 emails about the issue by last Friday. Though Graham’s computer was out of commission for part of last week, she said she knows she received over 100. By Nov. 4, Anderson said he had heard from over 150 constituents.

“This issue has been second only to school rezoning issues in my 20 years on the board,” Anderson said. “…Obviously, people in Williamson County care deeply about where their children go to school and when they go to school. I appreciate their willingness to get involved and provide input into the process.”

Graham explained that devising an academic calendar is like putting together a puzzle.

“You have 177 instructional days and you try to split them as close to 89-88 days a semester as you can,” she said. Next the variables are added in. For example, some people want a five-day fall break in conjunction with Thanksgiving, while others prefer a two-day fall break and a three-day one at Thanksgiving, she said. The 2010-11 calendar will include a staff-development day on Election Day.

Graham acknowledged that not everyone will be 100 percent happy with whatever calendar is approved, probably on Monday. But she will guarantee that instruction will be her top priority.

“That’s No. 1 with me – that any calendar be educationally sound.”

The board meets Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Administrative Complex in Franklin.
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