Bill Proposes Starting Ohio's School Year Later

[PKI Jizzman]

Bill proposes starting Ohio's school year later

Posted by Angela Townsend August 30, 2007 03:23AM

Categories: Impact

The calendar says that summer officially ends on Sept. 22. For most local school children, however, those carefree days have already been unceremoniously yanked away. Nationwide, three out of four public school districts start before Sept. 1.

 

But 11 states, including Michigan and Texas, have enacted laws limiting how early schools can begin holding classes.

 

State Sen. Randy Gardner wants Ohio to join that list. (What do you think? Post your comments.)

 

The Republican from Bowling Green introduced a bill in March that would prohibit school districts from holding classes until after Labor Day. The proposal is in the education committee and won't have hearings until lawmakers gather more input from interested parties.

 

Gardner couldn't be tracked down on Wednesday to talk about why he came up with the idea, which some educators have nicknamed the "Cedar Point Bill."

 

Officials from Cedar Point and Geauga Lake amusement parks have written a position paper enumerating how a later start to the school year would boost the state's tourism business.

 

Michigan's new law pushing back start times has already had an effect at Cedar Point, according to the 15-page paper.

 

Last year, attendance from Michigan residents jumped 33 percent at the park in the two weeks before Labor Day.

 

In addition to generating more local and state revenue from tourism, the change would provide more family time and give students more job opportunities and earning potential, the paper argues.

 

"We're not trying to shorten the school calendar," parks spokesman Bryan Edwards said. "Those days can be put anywhere in the calendar year."

 

But Scott Ebright, spokesman for the Ohio School Boards Association, said he takes issue with an amusement park telling local school boards how to run their schools. Teacher unions and other educator groups agree that the decision on when to open schools should be left to individual districts.

 

"A statewide mandate for starting schools has nothing to do with educating the state's children," Ebright said. "Let's keep that at the top of the conversation, not what's best for the tourism industry."

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/08/bill_proposes_starting_ohios_s.html

 

 

Saweeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

[SonOfBeastSucks]

I think it is a good idea, espeically with schools all around the country sending kids home because of the heat...

[MisterP]

BORRRRRING!!!

[FlyingScooter]

LOl, this is funny.

 

My daughter started school almost three weeks ago, and my girlfriends kid started two weeks ago. My sisters kid started last wednesday.

 

Cedar point Bill... That's funny... Are they trying for Disney status or something???/

LMAO!

[Scaparri]

I think this is stupid, personally. There's no point to it. If they start after Labor Day, then they are going to go significantly into June. And that's not going to hurt tourism? I don't know. Just seems pointless. I would much rather get out of school by Memorial Day than start after Labor Day. That's just me though.

[Shavethewhales]

I'll take late spring/early summer for my vacation over deep summer when everything is melted. Or, well, I would.

 

I don't see how CP would really gain much from this though. I mean, don't more people go earlier in the summer than later?