The School Board needs to revoke this vote and revisit the calendar change through a more thorough, inclusive and transparent approach. We implore the School Board to listen to the taxpaying parents. Parents were not given complete data and reason behind the need for this major change in the calendar. In addition, parents took the time to fill out a survey, put out from the district, and a clear majority expressed their views to have the school year start later in August. These are our primary concerns:

1. There was not enough time and focus placed on this process which included input from the parents and community.  It should have been developed with a public forum/committee that included a parent member. Votes with a change this significant are given a 1 year exploratory period with numerous community forums.

2. This district spent a fair amount of funds to get information out on a parcel tax, and similar amount should have been spent to inform the community of this potential change.

3. If only 2 calendar choices were offered - traditional and modified lite, as was presented at the June 17th School Board meeting, this should have been made clear to the certificated and classified staff (teachers and administrative staff) and the parents of the student body.

4. We want to see data that shows the calendar chosen for our community does in fact benefit the children in our community. Not opinions of the Board Members but FACTS that this will benefit our children. Change for the sake of change only creates stress.

5. The constituents of our elected Board of Education have been surveyed and the results published, as follows: 35% traditional, 20% early start (mid August start), 18% Modified Lite, 17% Modified Hybrid, 10% Modified.  To disregard a clear majority is not only disappointing but disrespectful of the voters.