Calendar in question? Ask the parents

NOVEMBER 19, 2008

After watching Hillsborough feud for years over which holidays to observe, we found Bay County's method of seeking consensus quaint but refreshing.

The Panhandle district doesn't give the community the final say, but it lets residents vote online on which of two proposed academic calendars they like the best.

"This is a step in the right direction to get more community involvement," Lendy Willis, Bay's executive director of curriculum, told the Panama City News-Herald. "The more community input and involvement, the better we can guide our school system."

Granted, Bay County's population is quite different than Hillsborough's. Probably fewer arguments over the relative value of Easter vs. Yom Kippur or Eid al-Fitr, for instance. Still, it seems to have found a way to at least hear what folks have to say without having its disputes aired on national television.

Posted by Times Editor at 9:13:00 am on November 19, 2008 in

Parents and Education

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Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going in on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.

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