C.R. school calendar a burden to parents

Parents of students in the Cedar Rapids Community Schools should be outraged and should show up Monday to voice their opinion when the school district's administration asks the school board to approve the proposed 2012-13 and 2013-14 calendars, which have 15 to 17 early dismissal days, respectively. This does not include the first and last day of the school year. Early dismissal days are up from eight in the 2009-10 school year. The school board meeting will be held at 5 p.m. at Kingston ESC.

When you include the time our students have substitute teachers while teachers are in other meetings, on top of the early dismissal days, you have to ask yourself: “How much time does your student(s) spend with their teachers?”

Could the reason students are falling behind is because they are spending less time with their teachers? Granted, parents must do their part and be involved in the education process, but with all the early dismissal days, staff learning days and holidays, the school district is losing focus on students and burdening family resources.

Everyone is struggling economically, including the school district and parents. The school calendars hurt the income-earning ability of many and force parents to pay for child care they otherwise wouldn't need with money they don't have. Why is the burden of additional staff learning being placed on the parents and students?

Lawrence

Wenclawski

Cedar Rapids