FSSD Commitment To Two Calendar System

The Franklin Special School District (FSSD) is known for providing excellent educational opportunities to
students in kindergarten through the eighth grade, together with pre-K classes for qualified students. The
District is widely known as a desirable location to live and raise a family, due in large part to the quality of its
schools. For the last decade and more, FSSD has provided a choice to its students with both a traditional
and a balanced calendar option (the Two Calendar System).

While there has been no official announcement that the Board of Education is considering elimination of either
the traditional calendar or the balanced calendar option, there have been unofficial indications that such a
course may be under consideration. If the traditional calendar is eliminated, the balanced calendar will be
imposed upon residents who have chosen a different system, and the opposite is also true. Parental and
family choice, a key strength of the FSSD, is at risk of being lost.

The Board of Education has adopted and embraced a policy which values diversity and equity in the schools,
with racial, cultural and socio-economic diversity all being valued components of a dynamic and positive public
school environment. We all share this commitment to diversity and equity in our school populations and school
programs. We commit ourselves and our resources to promote and obtain the goal of equal opportunity, equal
experience, and cultural, ethnic and socio-economic diversity among our several school campuses.

We are concerned that the Two Calendar System is being considered for elimination. We are convinced that
the goal of diversity and equity within our schools can be achieved within the context of a two-calendar (both
traditional and balanced) system. We seek an opportunity to focus ourselves, the FSSD, and the Board of
Education on that goal.

Petition:
We, the undersigned, call on the FSSD Board of Education to reaffirm its commitment to the Two
Calendar System, providing both a traditional calendar for the zoned schools and a 9/2 balanced
calendar at Poplar Grove School for the 2011-2012 school year, and subsequent years.