The Fayette

County Board of Education has postponed a decision on the proposed school

calendar for 2003-2004.

It believes

that a balanced calendar may offer significant benefits for the education

of students. A vote for the final selection of either keeping the current

schedule or adopting one of three new proposed schedules will come at

the board's April 15 meeting.

The board said

that being in a era of high expectations and accountability for student

and teach performance, five-day breaks throughout the school year would

enable students and teachers to rest, re-energize, and re-focus so that

they can perform at their best. It said that there is no research that

promotes the present agrarian calendar as preferable over others in promoting

student achievement.

There are more

than 2 million students in the United States who are attending a school

on some form of a balanced calendar, with five states having the largest

number of students using a balanced calendar. In Georgia, there are 21

schools using one. The cost of using a balanced calendar would be the

same as now.

For more information,

fax board members at 770-460-8191 or check the school system's Web site

at www.fcboe.org . Click on "News and Announcements" and

then on "Answers to Questions about the Proposed 2003-2004 Calendar."