Will McDonnell flip on pre-Labor Day school starts?
By Brian Kirwin | Friday, January 6th, 2012 | PoliticsWill Bob McDonnell will be the Governor to overturn Virginia’s post-Labor Day school opening. People on both sides of the aisle are hoping so.
Del. Greg Habeeb has filed HB 15 to do away with the post-Labor Day school starts.
McDonnell has opposed such things in the past, but some are hoping for a change.
I’ve heard some random arguments why starting school in August makes a bunch of failing kids into sudden geniuses. Most of them are sadly illogical.
1) How are extra classes in August going to help SOL score in May?
2) Don’t complain to me about students doing nothing in June classrooms. If teachers aren’t teaching, fire them.
3) Don’t sell me on cost savings for heat in the winter being saved. Cranking up the AC in August isn’t exactly economic development.
4) I’m not interested in opening school years early just so schedulers can have more bad weather day cushions or more “professional development days” for teachers. I’m just not.
For the record, I think the 180-day minimum rule is stupid, too. In my book, if you get results in 175 days, I’m happy. Want to end the school year earlier in June? I’m fine. Do excellent in SOL testing and get rewarded. Flop on your scores and students get more class time. I’m open to conversations that are focused on LEARNING.
But if you tell me that students who do poorly in May testing are the result of not having enough August classes, I’m going to laugh in your face and accuse you of not having enough classes yourself.
Can we spend a little more time talking about actual learning in education, and a little less fixation on the bureaucracy of it.
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About the author
The right wants to jeer him. The left wants to censor him. Moderates usually want both. Brian Kirwin is a political consultant and public relations strategist in Virginia Beach with a lightning-rod flair. Brian also serves on the VB Arts & Humanities Commission and frequently appears on Hampton Roads theatrical stages, if only to prove that all actors aren’t liberals. Kirwin’s columns stir up debate and hit the political scene with no punches pulled.
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14 Responses to "Will McDonnell flip on pre-Labor Day school starts?"
To understand this law, one has to know how it came about. In years before this law was passed, many farmers in counties in Southside and Southwest Virginia used family to get tobacco crops in and cured. When the Labor day law was passed it was at the request of Kings Dominion and other employers of large numbers of high school students in the summer and the tourist season lasting through Labor day.
It is a case of big government deciding how local governments do their business. We should do away with this law as soon as possible and let the local governments the freedom to operate as they see best for their communities.
Tucker, then cut state funding for local governments and let them pay for their schools themselves.
Local school divisions who have legitimate weather-related reasons for wanting to start earlier can already get a waiver.
Every school system in the surrounding states begins before Labor Day. Teaching after the SOLs just doesn’t make any sense – students know summer is coming. They know the real test just past and they know they can slack off. Even the best teachers aren’t going to be able to do much with students who have clocked out.
Throw in the fact that colleges start before Labor Day and you’re getting kids used to the schedules they’ll be having for the rest of their lives. There’s no need to keep the post-labor day start time. Let them out in May.
Tourism-dependent parts of the state disagree, Brian.
Brian, surrounding states have higher taxes. How far do you want to take this?
Teaching after the SOLs is a teacher’s JOB. Do students suddenly run the classroom?
And I’m worried about how you say you’re “getting them used to the schedules they’ll be having the rest of their lives” and then say “Let them out in May”
They’ll be out in May the rest of their lives?
BK-Only if they go into teaching.
After regular school is out in May, maybe they can offer some “1%” courses for the rest of the month instead of letting them out so they can act like the “99%”.
I am not an “Occupy” supporter, however I object to efforts to sideline some of the legitimate complaints they give voice to.
What do I support in their efforts at all? The rich already have enough riches and we should not be supporting efforts to give them even more. Somebody has got to pay for the unemployed their accumulating wealth causes, and if they want to live in America, they should be responsible for cleaning up the mess they created.
If the majority are unemployed and the minority is filthy rich, how do they expect to continue to achieve majorities in the polls?
Compromise: 6 days of school a week. Start after labor day, finish in May. And you can make Christmas break 1 week.
It seems reasonably obvious that localities should be allowed to start/end school when they want to, so long as they meet the total number of days. Seems like a silly regulation that school can’t start until after Labor Day. Local government is best government.
Sam, except local government relies on state government to pay a lot of the school bills.
I understand that with state dollars comes state control, but it just seems like a silly rule. You have to get to 180 days, why does Richmond care if they’re in August or June? Localities are smart enough to figure it out for themselves without Richmond’s loving caress… er… heavy hand.
Why not just move the SOLs back until June? Just a thought
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