The Virginian-Pilot
©
RICHMOND
Ultimately it may be a moot point, but a perennial proposal to let all Virginia public schools open before Labor Day achieved a minor milestone Wednesday: a favorable vote in the House of Delegates.
Del. Bob Tata's bill, HB 1063, which for the first time this year has the blessing of Gov. Bob McDonnell, won preliminary House approval on a voice vote. After repeated attempts over recent years, it was the first time the measure has advanced to the House floor.
In the end it may not matter, because an identical measure, SB 457, was defeated in a Senate committee last week. Unless some minds are changed on that panel, Tata's bill is likely to suffer the same fate.
The effort - backed by educators, including those in all five South Hampton Roads school divisions, but opposed by tourism and business groups - would end a 25-year-old prohibition on starting school before Labor Day without a waiver from the state Board of Education.
Tata, R-Virginia Beach, said after the vote he is optimistic about final House passage today, but conceded that the Senate will be an uphill battle.
What's needed is for the governor to do some arm-twisting on the Senate committee that rejected the proposal last week, Tata said, but he's unsure how much political capital McDonnell is willing to spend on the issue.
"It's not one of his high priorities, I don't think," he said.
He noted that the tourism industry, which sees the measure as a threat to its summer business, is a major source of campaign contributions in Richmond.
Lodging and tourism interests doled out $357,000 in donations to Virginia politicians last year, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonprofit tracker of money in politics.
The fight over repealing the so-called "Kings Dominion law" - named for the theme park in Doswell - is one that transcends party lines. The debate in the House seemed to reflect more of a geographical divide, with lawmakers from densely populated Northern Virginia arguing for repeal and delegates from downstate favoring the status quo.
Bill Sizemore, 804-697-1560,bill.sizemore@pilotonline.com
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In favor of after Labor Day opening
I always went to school after Labor Day, as did my wife. My son just graduated from the Virginia Beach public school system, going back to school after Labor Day, and he and his classmates seemed to have plenty of time to prep for all their tests, and seemed to get a real good education too. Many of the public school kids down here at the beach work summer jobs, and that final weekend is a big money maker for them. This would actually hurt a lot of kids. This push is about getting kids in school more days during the year so that the school system can get more money out of the feds, and nothing more.
Wrong Impression
The school day is not being extended. That is the big misconception by many people. The school year will still be 180 days. So if school starts a week or two early then it will end a week or two earlier than normal. This is not a push for year-around schools (although not a bad idea if most knew how it actually worked). Curious to what jobs actually pay more based on the holiday??? Are they waiters or waitresses? Really do not see any school age kids at Virginia Beach, Busch Gardens, or Kins Dominion taking orders in those kinds of establishments. However, I do see them taking orders at McDonald's, Dairy Queen, and other booths or stores who pay minimum wage without tips. Just curious what the gripe is over???
What?
No one is taking about extending the school year - it would remain at 183 days in VB as always. It's about giving students more time to prepare for tests - time that other districts already have. Kids can still work the Labor Day weekend, no school on Saturday through Monday. I've even heard they would likely give students off on Friday, so now they have a four day weekend. Why are we letting tourists impact our childrens education?? Every resort city south of here starts before Labor Day. Yes, even Myrtle Beach.......
More than half
More than half of the school districts already have the waiver so why the fight. This is not a mandate to open schools before Labor Day, rather it is removing a layer of bureaucracy. Why should the kids in Fauquier County have a 10 day jump on course work for SOLs and AP test, they all have to take the tests on the same material and at the same time.
It is not an unreasonable piece of legislation and it's a heck of a lot easier dealing with just your local school district rather than having to that AND then with the DOE in Richmond.