Opinion Editorials

Time to Change School Calendar is Now

By Toni Stout

Complaints from parents in early August echoed from Dallas to Dumas. Why, exasperated mothers and fathers were demanding, are children going back to school so early? And why, equally frustrated parents were asking, does school start so early, only to shut down for 10 or more teacher in-service days and even more vacation days during the year when there is no one around to watch the kids?

The time to ask questions and to complain is not in early August. It is now when schools boards and superintendents are appointing calendar committees. During the next two to three months, these groups will decide when the 2000 school year starts and ends. They will sketch out a calendar that once approved, is carved in stone.

As parents, we owe it to our kids to get involved – to call their local school superintendent, to find out who is on the calendar committee and when it meets. Parents who have strong feelings about this issue should ask questions but also make their views heard. 

The responsibility lies with us, parents. It’s up to us to help drive the effort to turn the clock back, and bring some rational thinking to the way we structure our kids’ school year. Attending calendar committee and school board meetings is the best way to explain our position and hold members of these groups accountable for their decisions. Complaining in August won’t do the trick.

The school calendar has nothing to do with education. All children in Texas attend school for 175 to 180 days. At stake is not the time spent at school. The question is how many breaks are scheduled during the year. In the Austin ISD, for example, students go to class 175 days a year. Schools shut down for 24 holidays and 10 teacher in-service days. In order to accommodate those additional 34 days, school must start particularly early. 

This year, Austin ISD started school on August 11. For Houston ISD and Dallas ISD students, it was August 16, and in the San Antonio ISD, it was August 9. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, Plano ISD started on August 3 this year!

A majority of Texans, including many teachers, dislike the new early start trend. A short summer break makes it hard for teachers to attend continuing education classes and for high school students to get a summer job, gain work experience and learn the value of an education. A short summer does not give anyone enough time to get rested and ready for the new school year. 

Younger children don’t start the school year with the enthusiasm that comes from getting bored and therefore ready for class. 

Equally important is that an early start means lots of days when school is closed. For working parents, that translates into serious problems. 

Activities such as camp and swim team can be organized for youngsters during the summer. During the school year, there is no good solution. It’s difficult and expensive to find a babysitter and leaving children home alone is not advisable. 

School board members are not always aware of parents’ likes and dislikes. They may not fully understand the issue. Some parents have circulated petitions in their neighborhoods and taken them to the school board to show the level of unhappiness with an early school start. Others have encouraged their friends and neighbors to attend school board meetings. Still more have found that writing a letter to the editor of the local paper generates interest and attention in the community. 

The underlying message is that an early return to school does not help our children’s education while a return to a traditional school year – late August or early September to June 1 – will benefit our students and our teachers. It may seem obvious but it is going to take hard work and good timing to turn the clock back. And the time is now.