Why CCC will continue to exist

The front page of the today’s (January 19) Williamson A.M. is a perfect illustration of why the Citizens Calendar Committee will meet this weekend to formalize its structure as an ongoing entity and develop its goals and strategies for the coming months—years if need be.

Everybody who saw the Tuesday night School Board meeting—either in person or on channel 3—saw a “Sea of Red,” as people who support a “traditional” calendar for Williamson County—and silently stated that position by wearing something red—packed a “standing room only” auditorium. Seated amidst that Sea of Red was a handful of “balanced” calendar advocates from Trinity Elementary School wearing blue shirts

So, when you open today at see the front fold of the WAM to see the story about Tuesday’s vote, what picture do you see? The tiny contingent of blue shirts, of course.

A couple months ago, when the Citizens Calendar Committee first got started, the press gave us a good deal of coverage and began doing their own investigative reporting into a proposed change that would drastically alter much of the fabric of Williamson County. A few weeks ago, The Tennessean—the parent publication of the Williamson A.M.—published an editorial strongly advocating year-round school. Whether by coincidence or not, the Williamson A.M.s coverage of the “balanced” calendar issue soon took a very different tone on the matter. While the reports continue to be fair in the portrayal of CCC’s statements and positions on the subject, there no longer seems to be much interest in delving into the truth and fiction about the year-round school movement.

Couple that with the fact that that our tax dollars are paying for a Central Office which uses is vast communications resources to promote a nearly one-sided “pro” year-round school stance, and leaves us with only a parents’ group like the Citizens Calendar Committee to advocate for the majority opinion in Williamson County which firmly believes that a “traditional” school calendar is by far the best choice for our students and the county as a whole.