I am not sure if this is a case of bad writing, or school board members who just don’t “get it:”
Pressure from parents and the tourism industry has pushed 11 states to limit how early school may begin, rankling school boards that want local control and more time to prepare students for state-mandated tests. USA Today
How much more “local” can the control get than parents pressuring districts to start school later? But since the districts would not listen, they took their political pressure to the state. A little underhanded, I guess. At least the school boards do not seem to appreciate it.
“You need to allow local school boards discretion on local matters,” says Tom Gentzel, executive director of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. “We don’t think the state should dictate, especially on a matter like this.” Ibid.
In theory, I am inclined to agree with that sentiment. Except that even the local school board should not have the authority to change start dates if the majority of parents in the district do not want the change.
In 1988, 51% of schools started before September 1st. Last year, 75% did. I think pretty soon, Carson-Deollosa and other similar companies targeting the school market are going to have to redesign their “Back to School” decorations. All the fall colors are really not relevant anymore.
Principled Discovery is a place to stop and discuss news and information related to faith, family and particularly education. Pour yourself a cup of tea and join the conversation! 
We just moved from Virginia to Arkansas. We start homeschooling in September because we promised our daughter that school starts in September…that’s when it started when I was growing up in Seattle, and that’s when it starts in Virginia. We were suprised that the public schools here have been going since August 20th!
Of course, one of the benefits of homeschooling is that the parents really do get to decide on these matters. We have good friends who started at the beginning of August so they could go on vacation in September and take time off with their new baby comes sometime around November.
Our county just converted about 60% of all elementary and middle schools to year round school. the parents were pissed! I love it though, the schedule is awesome.
The goal is for kids to have less time with their family… more school time less personal time.
It’s the Socialist/Communist model.
And they then wonder why kids have dysfunctional families. It’s because they don’t get to be connected families; they don’t have to be since the government is becoming the family.. you know this “village” that raises the kids that we always hear about.
Hi, Dana. Since I consider you a positive influence on the blogging world, I’ve given you a “Nice Matters” blog award. Go to http://cathilyndyck.blogspot.com/2007/09/come-get-your-blog-award-friends.html to pick it up (right-click and save the image for uploading to your blog). The rules of the “game” are also posted there.
Have a good one! I truly enjoyed your description of driving in the various states.
Cat
Elizabeth, it is nutty. Where I grew up, we started school after Labor Day.
John, I think I like the year round school, too. That was actually part of my solution for public education I devised this weekend, since I had nothing better to do. : ) Is your county one that is on four weeks, off three or some similar schedule?
Judy, I’m happy the parents are actually protesting in this case. All to often, I read more about the parents who can’t wait until their kids go back to school and do not know what to do with them over the summer.
Thanks, Cat! I should find a special place in my sidebar. Maybe it will remind me to play nice when I don’t feel like it!
Our District switched a few years ago to the last week in August start date. What some partents don’t realize is that other days in the year are then taken of as in-service days or non-pupil days or whatever your school calls them…actually they can and sometimes do mask other religious holidays: ours mask Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur…and then added the day after Halloween off.
I personally prefer the start after Labor Day. I do not care for the 3 day week start and then a 4 day week and then the regular week beginning, by starting that last Wednesday in August. I also think starting after Labor Day allows for those final family vacations–such as we just did, and for the whole fall/back-to-school theme. I cannot tell you much it irritates me to walk in the stores in July to dee Halloween decor up and Back-to-School stuff with it when I want a bikini (OK, not a bikini but a swim suit LOL)
Change can be good, but I think we have to look at the reasons for the change? What purposes do they serve? Who do they serve?
I love coming to your blog. I absolutely LOVED your traffic-driving post! I can so understand. We have driven from NM to IN and back many times.
and she couldn’t believe he started so early.
Oh… wait… did we ever stop last year? Never mind…
As far as when the ps started… They started on - are you ready for this? - August 14th here. Unbelievable! I grew up in this state, and my birthday is August 28th… we always started after my birthday! -which explains why I started the first day of college the day I turned 18! Weird.
A friend of mine sent her son to ps for high school this year
Us? We just started yesterday.
Back to reading your well-written, informative, I-don’t-know-where-you-get-these posts.
blessings!
-Jacque
I came over to see if the Carnival of Principled Gov. was on this week. I linked an icon on DixonContestBlog at hsb.
hugs!
Thanks, Jacque! And I meant to post an announcement about the PG…I changed it a little due to time constraints but haven’t bothered to tell anyone.
It is on for Monday.