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Arguments
For and Against a
post Labor Day School
Start Date
Local
Control
Opponents
say:
- Local elected
officials are better able to set school calendars that work for their
district.
- School Board
members are elected by the people and should have the power to set
the school calendar.
- Each school district has
vastly different needs and that one school-start date does not fit
all.
Proponents
say:
- Parents do not
have sufficient input in setting the school calendar; as surveys in
other states show the vast majority of parents support post-Labor
Day school start dates.
- It is also important
to remember the state pays the largest portion of the education tab
and thus should ensure non-instructional costs are kept to a minimum.
- This will ensure
the bulk of taxpayer dollars go towards educational programming, classroom
supplies and teacher salaries.
- Federal guidelines
require Adequate Yearly Progress Reports be provided to parents no
later than the first day of school.
Teacher’s
Continuing Education
Opponents
say:
- Institutions
of higher learning should modify their schedules to accommodate teachers’
needs.
- It is not the
school systems responsibility to set a school calendar that works
with the summer sessions offered by colleges and universities.
Proponents
say:
- Evidence shows
that most colleges and universities pull from many school districts.
Institutions of higher learning cannot be expected to set summer class
schedules around several schooldistricts start and end dates.
- It is difficult
to create advanced learning opportunities for teachers when district
calendars vary by weeks.
- Many of our dedicated
teachers are currently not certified in the area in which they teach.
Federal education law requires certification in areas of teaching
for all by the year 2012.
- Teachers often
receive increased pay as advanced degrees are received and we should
maximize teachers have to achieve advanced learning.
- Research shows
that students taught by teachers who hold national certification score
better on standardized tests.
Attendance
Lag
Opponents
say:
- Attendance the
first few days, or weeks, of school is low regardless of when the
school year begins.
Proponents
say:
- Absentee rates
dropped 60 percent after Texas enacted a uniform school start date
law.
Student
Employment
Opponents
say:
- Student work
is a matter of personal choice and the school calendar should not
be structured around it.
Proponents say:
- The majority
of students today don’t work for the "fun" of it.
Many work to help with household expenses or to save for higher learning.
- The Employment
Policies Institute found that students who worked during high school
had higher paying jobs upon graduation.
- Teachers also
report students with part-time jobs are more focused and more appreciative
of their education than others.
Agrarian
Calendar
Opponents
say:
- The "traditional
calendar" is a calendar of yesteryear and we should not be continuing
to use an agrarian calendar in this modern age.
Proponents
say:
- We couldn’t
agree more. The agrarian calendar, a calendar with mini-breaks and
a shorter summer, was ushered out with urbanization – and is
continued to be pushed by those supporting the year-round calendar
concept.
Early-August
School Start Dates Allow More Frequent and Much Needed Breaks During
the School Year
Opponents
say:
- Teachers and
students enjoy mini-breaks during the school year. Frequent small
breaks keep them refreshed and prevent student and teacher burnout.
- More breaks during
the school year and a shorter summer break are better for student
achievement.
Proponents
say:
- Calendars with
many breaks interrupt the flow of learning.
- There is no evidence
year-round school calendars, as calendars with frequent breaks are
called, are better for student achievement, as proponents of year
round school calendars claim. Actually, a recent study by world renowned
education researcher, Dr. Gene V. Glass, found: ". "These
arguments often rely on data drawn from laboratory experiments where
subjects memorize nonsense syllables or perform other non-meaningful
tasks. The relevance of these studies to actual classroom practice
is questionable."
- News articles
report school districts around the country have dropped year round
school calendars for two basic reasons – increased non-instructional
cost and no increase in academic performance.
Travel
and Tourism
Opponents say:
- School calendars
should not be set around the needs of industry.
- The early school
start date often provides families the opportunity to travel and less
expensive and crowed times.
Proponents
say:
-
We have been unable to find research that shows starting school early benefits long term learning.
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We have found research supporting the need for increased dollars earmarked for education and research touting the benefits of youth work experiences.
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Protecting the ability of the state’s school district to "exercise local control" is costing the state’s economy approximately $500 million annually, according to economic researchers Tripp Umbach. As stated in the researchers September 2006 report to the legislature, "Tripp Umbach believes that philosophical arguments related to local vs. state control put forth by the school boards and others do not justify forfeiting more than 2,348 jobs and more than $17.7 million in state and local tax revenue. The benefits to the Commonwealth are too important to be lost in a battle over control.
- The same report went on to say, "The trend toward school districts starting even earlier comes at a cost of more than $75.6 million per day to the state’s economy. Legislation enacted today will serve to mitigate hundreds of millions in direct and indirect losses to the state’s economy and thousands of jobs over the next 10 to 20 years. Left unchecked, a significant component of the state’s $34 billion travel and tourism industry would be lost."
- The Tripp Umbach September 2006 report estimates the following loses per 5 days the school year begins before Labor Day:
Students and Teachers Lose a combined $45.6 million dollars in lost personal income.
Parents and Teachers Save a combined $23 million dollars in additional child care costs avoided.
School Districts Save $175.7 million dollars in operational costs avoided.
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