Public schools will once again ring with the voices of students and teachers as they start a new school year next week.
If either of two proposed bills repealing a 13-year-old requirement that public schools not start before Sept. 1 makes its way through the Wisconsin Legislature, each school district — not the state — could determine its first day of school.
A similar effort in 2007 failed, but local public school leaders hope the latest attempt will succeed.
Peter Behnke, Bonduel School District administrator, said he already sees teachers at the school in early August making preparations for classes that cannot start until after Labor Day. Also, five fall sports are already in full swing at Bonduel High School, along with three at Bonduel Middle School.
“Traditionally, before that law was passed, we’d start on Aug. 22-23, roughly a week earlier than normal,” Behnke said. “Half the high school enrollment is already here for (sports).”
Behnke said his district prefers having the end of the school year come before Memorial Day, which is a busy time for farmers and when businesses hire summer employees to handle the tourism traffic. Currently, local schools don’t finish until the second week in June due to the Sept. 1 start date restriction; schools must be in session for 180 days.
“That has been a bone of contention for some in the community. They really don’t like that, whether it’s for farming or for any other reason,” Behnke said. “(Students) are anxious to start up for the fall, but they’re equally anxious to finish up in the spring.”
Behnke said it is best for each school district to decide what schedule works best for its schools and the community.
Susan Longmire, principal at St. James Lutheran School in Shawano, said the educational value of starting in August versus September is negligible, but St. James, which started classes Tuesday, finds students are motivated and ready to learn again in August.
Starting in August also helps St. James students ease back into the school routine, according to Longmire. There are only three days of school this week, followed by four next week due to Labor Day, and then the full five-day school week after that.
“I know that, by the end of the school year, the kids are ready to get out,” Longmire said, noting that her school usually finishes by Memorial Day. “By the end of the school year, they’re just biding their time the last few days.”
Whether or not Assembly Bill 267 and Senate Bill 228, which both seek to lift the Sept. 1 mandate, will succeed remains to be seen. Rep. Gary Tauchen, R-Bonduel, said Monday afternoon that while there is support for the bills from school boards, there is also fierce opposition from organizations representing restaurants and tourism.
Tauchen said, based on the amount of support and opposition, he is not sure how he will vote if the bills make it to the Assembly floor, which may not even happen.
Shawano County has events and activities taking place all summer, which require additional employees, Tauchen noted.
“We have one of the later (county) fairs, and we live in an area that is dependent on tourism,” Tauchen said. “The family things are very important in our community and around the state. I don’t know if this bill is going to move forward or not.”
Assembly Bill 267 was read in the Assembly for the first time on July 23 and referred to the Committee on Tourism. According to the Legislature’s web site, no further action has been taken.
Senate Bill 228 received a first reading on July 9 and went to the Committee on Education.
Categories
