by Liz Daube
Staff Writer
A Florida bill aiming to push school start dates closer to September has Duval County schools concerned about local control and some parents longing for summer vacations of the past.
The bill would require all Florida schools receiving state funding to begin their academic year no earlier than a week before Labor Day. That requirement would move the opening of Jacksonville public schools from last year’s Aug. 8 to Aug. 28 or later.
Members of the Duval County School Board want individual school districts to decide start dates – not the state. Some local school administrators support the School Board’s lobbying against the bill in Tallahassee.
“I really feel that each county needs to be able to determine that on its own,” said Louise Peaks, vice principal at LaVilla School of the Arts. She explained that some counties are hit by hurricanes more frequently, so they may want to start earlier to allow for hurricane make up days.
Some proponents of the bill argue that some hurricane days might be avoided by the later start. However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Web site says most hurricane activity occurs in early to mid-September, right after Labor Day.
Many parents want the later start date to give their children traditional summers, which would last from June-September instead of May-August.
Jacksonville parent Angie Campbell has a daughter in a private preschool and a son in public elementary school. She said her family has difficulty coordinating vacation and day care schedules because of the growing difference between private and public school start dates.
Campbell said she’s watched the start dates creep back and the number of days off go up recently, especially teacher planning days. Campbell reasoned that Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test preparation might be behind the changes, but she said she didn’t know why the test should cause the school year to change so much.
“We parents are really not given a lot of information,“ said Campbell. “It seems like they’re in school more, but they’re teaching less and less.”
Peaks said some parents don’t understand how school schedules have changed.
“Thirty-two years ago, we didn’t have Memorial Day,” said Peaks. She listed Veterans Day, Martin Luther King Day and spring break as other vacation additions. “When you try to do all of that and get 180 (state-required) days in, it makes it tough.”
Heidi Taylor, a fourth grade teacher at Lake Lucina Elementary, said the FCAT dates keep moving closer to the opening date, allowing teachers less time to prepare students. Even a few days or weeks of time can make a difference in students’ FCAT scores, she said.
“I feel that if we start later and we keep moving our FCAT back, we won’t have enough time to get the kids ready,” said Taylor. “If my kids were to take the test right now (in April), I’m sure their scores would’ve improved since February or March.”
Nancy Broner, district two School Board member, said parents and teachers assist the calendar committee, so a variety of input went into the Board’s decision to start earlier. She said a later start could disrupt local grading schedules.
Right now, students finish the fall semester and receive grades before the winter break. Before the earlier start dates, Broner said the fall term used to extend into the new year. As a result, students had papers due and tests to take after the holiday break.
“What a hassle,” said Broner. “Tests and research papers all hung over their (students’) heads over the holidays. Teachers also commented that they got back and spent a week or two reviewing. That was a loss of time.”
Tourism advocates have supported the bill because it would give them more summer time with vacationing families. A later start date would also help amusement parks, restaurants and retailers meet consumer demand by keeping high school-age workers employed through August.
“Disney certainly doesn’t need to impact Duval County,” said Martin Miller, lobbyist for the School Board.
Broner agreed: “Our mission is to make decisions that have to do with making the best decisions for kids – not to provide a cheap labor force.”
Other arguments for the later start date include reduced electricity costs. Although Miller said August is one of the hottest months of the year, he added that Florida’s humid environment requires air conditioning to run year-round to prevent mold and other damage. Don Nelson, principal at Twin Lakes Academy Middle, said his school hosts three different programs over the summer, as well. Even when no students are in attendance, Nelson said an administrative and custodial staff of nearly 20 people are in the school year-round.
The House of Representatives and Senate versions of the bill are both in education appropriations. Miller said the House recently added a section to another bill that would give local school districts some control. He called the amendment, which would allow schools to open as early as Aug. 8 with a School Board super majority vote, “a good compromise.”