|
|
|||
|
|
c |
The school year should not start until AFTER September 1st. Starting that
early may hurt teacher continuing education efforts and deprive high school
students from getting summer work experience. It makes it harder for
families to plan vacations, and it leads to more breaks during the school
year that are a hardship for single parent and two working parent families."
Children should be provided with the best learning environment and the
greatest opportunity to succeed.
A shorter summer break interferes with continuing education programs for
some teachers.
Summer jobs for high school students are important.
Single parent and two working parent families are at a disadvantage.
Migrant students are punished by the early school year start date.
Taxpayers are asked to pick-up the tab for higher utility bills and the
inefficiencies for non-uniform school calendars.
State law makers set the number of instructional days for students.
A longer school year doesn't necessarily mean additional days in the
classroom.
The shorter summer break and the lack of uniformity in school calendars
interferes with continuing education and summer work programs for some
teachers.
Teachers' access to continuing education, college courses and advanced
degrees is of growing important to teacher pay issues.
Even within school districts, some schools start in early August and some in
mid-August. The lack of a uniform school calendar is a problem for some
teachers and parents with several school age children.
If some school districts make their calendars more flexible, other school
districts may lose the best teachers to districts where advancement is
easier to obtain.
To give Texas students the education they deserve and allow teachers to
keep up with information that's offered today, education is better served by a
full summer break.
Summer employment provides an important learning experience for high
school students.
Young adults learn a responsibility from summer jobs, which can help
them become better students.
Without summer income and on-the-job experience that comes with it,
high school students' college careers and future earning potential are
undetermined
In many instances students need to supplement their family's income and
save for college tuition. The current school calendar works against them.
Some high school students need to earn money and save for important
things like transportation, clothing and college.
A more traditional school calendar would allow many students to enhance
workplace experiences, learn about future job opportunities and use summer
employment to earn supplemental income.
The numerous breaks during the school year make it difficult for single
parent and two working parent families.
For example, some school districts have a Christmas break of two and one-
half week and a two-week Spring Break. For working families, it is a hardship
to take that many days off for vacation or struggle to hire a full-time day care.
For children of migrant working families, the early school start date is a
disadvantage that may be a cause of high drop out rates.
There are an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 migrant students, about 10% of
our school population. Nationally, the dropout rate for migrant students is
an astonishing 45%.
It would be better for children and families if school did not start until after
September 1st. Are school children more distracted in early August?
Starting school before September 1st puts children walking to and from
school out into he triple digit heat of our Alabama summers and into un-
air conditioned school buses. How much of your tax dollars are spent on
air conditioning schools during the hottest time of the year?
There is no substitute for the time parents spend with their children.
Families value the traditional summer break and the time spent together
at home and on family vacation. The month of August should be held
open for families to spend together.
Just ten years ago, most schools started the school year in early September.
Let's move the school year back to where it used to be - starting after
September 1st!
|
|
