Local Systems Opting Out of School Start Bill
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What would you think about every public school in the state starting the school year at the same time in the fall? The State House thinks it’s a good idea – at least for the most part. Some area lawmakers asked their counties be exempt from the uniform start. Crockett County is one of 24 of the state’s 95 counties that would be exempted from the uniform start date – a date nearly three-and-a-half weeks after their normal start. The “first day of school” may come a little later for those not exempt, after state lawmakers the bill to gradually move back the start to the end of August – a decision that could save districts a lot of money. “August is probably our most expensive school month, due to air conditioning cost, ” said Crockett County Director of Schools, Eddie Whitby. “In our system it’s probably the most expensive school month – $15 to $20,000 more than the other months due to air conditioning cost alone.” In previous years, the first day of class falls during the first week in August. The measure would instead slowly push back the start-date to no earlier than the fourth Monday in the month. And officials say, an extra three-and-a-half weeks in late summer could mean a boost in state tourism, and less student absences due to family vacation. “We have had to deal with some students being out for a few days after school started. I’m sure it would eliminate that problem,” said Whitby. “The parents would be able to vacation later in the fall.” But a later start date would mean pushing final exams until after the Christmas vacation, potentially harming students’ scores, and putting more pressure on teachers. “It takes away the extra time that we have that the teachers would need to make sure that all the standards are being met in their particular classes,” said Crockett County Middle School principal, Bobby Mullins. While a final decision has yet to been reached, school officials in the exempted counties agree on one thing. “I really think that the local boards should be making those decisions,” said Whitby. As legislation currently stands, West Tennessee school systems exempted by their local representatives include Crockett, Fayette, Hardeman, Hardin, Lauderdale, and McNairy Counties.
