Dive Brief:
- Minnesota's newest budget bill gives school districts the flexibility to start before Labor Day this year.
- While the state's schools typically wait until after Labor Day to begin, this year's holiday isn't until Sept. 8, leading the state to grant districts the ability to start as early as Sept. 1.
- The debate over when to start the school year spans beyond the education arena. While many district administrators are often pushing for an earlier start, other industries, such as tourism, put pressure on the government to keep a later start date.
Dive Insight:
A later start date benefits tourism because teens can work summer jobs through Labor Day.
While the bill does allow for an earlier start date, the reality is that many schools may not take advantage of these extra days due to schedules typically being set months in advance.
Schools that do want to take advantage of the waiver have two reasons to do so: They get extra school days in, and they won't need to add on additional days to make up for snow next summer. Of course, starting the school year early is preferable to having it last longer. Kids tend to get antsy for summer as the year draws to a close, but by late August are typically more eager to get back into the classroom.
