Education over vacation

Last week Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, filed a proposed measure to keep schools from starting class until after Labor Day. This bill is not backed by Republicans or Democrats, and the education chairmen in both houses are pessimistic about its chances.

Why then has Sen. Delph insisted on pushing this bill on an already oversaturated General Assembly?  He claims that summer is an important bonding time for families and that the extra vacation weeks could drive up tourism revenue.

The conversation should be about lengthening the school year and bettering the education system, not cutting down on the days that Indiana’s youth spend learning.
Educators, business leaders and parents agree that decisions about when the school year begins and ends should be left up to the community. That way, those who are affected are the ones making the changes.

If Delph’s bill were to pass, any public or private school with state accreditations would be prohibited from starting classes before the Tuesday after Labor Day and from ending after June 10.

A similar bill was introduced last year but was promptly killed by the House Education Committee. The difference this time around is that the new chairman of the Senate Education and Career Development Committee, Sen. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn, is co-author of the bill.

Pundits do not see this as helping the chances of the bill’s passage, and the overall attitude about making this policy remains pessimistic. 

House Education Committee Chairman Gregory Porter, D-Indianapolis, said that the school calendar can be managed at a local level and “it should be done at a local level. I don’t think people have looked at the unintended consequences.” 

This controversy has seen the light of day in other states as well. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Texas have all had attempts by legislature to “save their summers.”

Only Texas and Michigan have seen the start date of their schools pushed back until after Labor Day.

Delph argues that by starting school in September, schools would be able to save money on their bills because energy consuming utilities like air conditioning would not be used in the hot month of August.  

When it comes to the primary education of Indiana’s residents, policy makers should be more focused on what is really important. 

According to StateMaster.com, Indiana ranks 26th on the Best Educated Index.
With statistics like this, now does not seem like the time to be talking about lengthening vacation.