Griffin Middle PTSA President: "The calendar is the straw that broke the camel's back.''

It’s baaaaack.

The Cobb Board of Education has a full agenda tonight when it meets at 7 at the  boardroom.

But that isn't stopping East Cobb board member David Banks from trying to revisit a familiar topic that a majority of his colleagues seemingly put to rest the last time they got together.

Banks told Patch that he once again wants to discuss the switch from this year's balanced calendar to a more traditional calendar in August.

Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but what is clearly evident is that this issue isn’t going away. Certainly not at , where the school’s PTSA Executive Board this month voted unanimously to approve a resolution requesting the board to “maintain the board’s 3-year commitment to the balanced calendar for the school years 2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2012-2013.’’

Some might view this as beating a dead horse, but GMS PTSA President Donnette Konneker called the calendar issue, “the straw that broke the camel’s back.’’

“It brought everything to a head,’’ said Konneker, who explained that she and many others in the community feel their concerns and issues have been ignored by the board and Post 2 member Tim Stultz of Smyrna. “Now people are paying attention, which is good because they are seeing a whole lot of other things that are of concern.’’

Stultz has contended that in the run up to last November’s election, he campaigned with a platform to restore the traditional calendar. His critics say they were unfamiliar with such a promise and surmise that he narrowly defeated incumbent Holli Cash merely because he was registered as a Republican in an election year when it was bad to be a Democrat.

Regardless, local supporters of the balanced calendar do not think Stultz has properly represented the community during his first few months on the job.

“I know for a fact that he did not go out and visit any of the schools he represents to try and get input on whether this calendar was working or not,’’ Konneker said. “I think that’s something a school board representative would want to do. I asked him to please look at the emails he was receiving from his constituents and to please go and meet with the principals.’’

The school’s in Post 2 include Campbell High School; H.A.V.E.N. Academy; Campbell, Floyd, and Griffin middle; and Argyle, Belmont Hills, Brown, King Springs, Nickajack and Teasley elementary schools.

According to Konneker, input from Griffin students, staff, families, and community business leaders, was gathered to determine whether it was an issue the school’s PTSA should advocate for. The resolution was then shared with fellow Post 2 PTAs that possibly could feel similar regarding concerns over the calendar change.

“School councils are a good advocate to make suggestions to the school board,’’ Konneker said. “We’re trying to figure out ways to help people voice their concerns, and maybe one day the board members who we feel aren’t listening to us will figure out it’s not just the 100 or 200 people at the school board meetings who are feeling this way.

“It really is an across the board feeling of discontent with them and distrust with how they’re handling some of the decision making. It’s a whole lot more than the calendar.’’

The  in February to push the school start date back to Aug. 15 from the previously approved Aug. 1 for the 2011-12 school year. Board members Kathleen Angelucci, Scott Sweeney and Stultz joined chairwoman Alison Bartlett to provide the majority in the vote. There have been citizen’s accusations that they will continue to join together to make future policy, including the selection of the next superintendent to follow Fred Sanderson, who retires in June.

Banks asked to  at the March 9 meeting, but the same 4-3 majority passed Sweeney’s 

Banks, however, told Patch that based on Robert’s Rules of Order, which the board follows, “indefinitely” means only during that particular meeting. Banks disagrees with the board's attorney, Clem Doyle, who interpreted the motion as banning discussion of that issue at any meeting until a majority of the board wants to place it back on the agenda.

According to RobertRules.org, Banks’ interpretation is correct. The website states: “(To) postpone indefinitely: kills the question/resolution for this session.”

“I know he really wants it back on there, and I know it’s not on there, so I don’t anticipate it being something that will be discussed,” said South Cobb board member David Morgan, who has joined Banks and West Cobb board member Lynnda Crowder-Eagle in the minority on every calendar vote this year. “The biggest thing is not where people fall on the issue; what I want is the conversation to be civil and professional.”

Bartlett reminded board members at the end of their March 9 meeting that they needed to follow the board’s Code of Ethics Policy. The seventh “Board Meetings” policy in that section reads, “Express opinions before votes are cast, but after the board vote, abide by and support all majority decisions of the board.”

Tonight's meeting can be seen live online at  http://www.cobbk12.org/board/video/ or on the school system's cable TV channel, Channel 24 on Comcast and Channel 97 on Charter.