Let districts schedule according to local needs

As one who cares deeply about education, I find Governor Branstad's effort to eliminate local control over school calendars to be both overreaching and unwise.

Overreaching, because this unilateral directive comes after legislative attempts to achieve his goals have failed in the Iowa Legislature, and attempts to accomplish the same thing by administrative rule making have failed before the State Board of Education.

Unwise, because the educational interests of Iowa's students are best advanced by current scheduling practices. As evidenced by the fact that most Iowa school districts have consistently chosen to apply for waivers and begin their school years in mid-August, educational leaders believe that mid-August is the best time to start the school year. Among those making this decision was Department of Education Director Brad Buck, while serving as the superintendent of the Saydel School District before being appointed to his current position.

The ability of secondary students to enroll in classes at community colleges or four year institutions is a tremendous advantage to Iowa students, which would be made more difficult if not eliminated. The ability to coordinate school calendars with local community colleges or four-year schools is essential to expanding chances for students to take classes their school may not be able to offer, and to earn postsecondary credit while still in high school. Without such coordination, it would be much more difficult to take advantage of opportunities offered by such institutions.

Our district, Decorah, has been recognized by the College Board AP Honor Roll for increasing the number of students taking Advanced Placement classes, and earning college credit by strong performance on the demanding AP tests administered each spring. These achievements would be jeopardized by later school start dates. Advanced Placement tests are administered nationally during the first week of May, no matter when the school year begins. Delaying the start of classes by as much as two weeks would be detrimental to students taking AP classes, as substantial instructional time would be deferred until after they have taken the AP exam.

The simple reality is that school scheduling is a zero sum game. If school begins later in the fall, it will end later in the spring. School days late in late May or June are less productive than days earlier in the year. While students are ready to be back in school in August, they are even more ready to be out by late May. Extending the school year into mid-June (which would happen on years with significant weather cancellations) would be making a difficult situation even worse.

It has been argued that districts can accommodate a later start date by lengthening the school day. This is not practical for a variety of reasons. First, students' ability to maintain focus over the course of a longer day may be problematic. Second, students have a variety of activities that take place both before and after school. Whether it be a rehearsal, practice, game or concert, or simply seeking extra help from a teacher, many school activities takes place outside of the regular school day. To force these activities earlier or later in the day would impact the ability of students to participate, while also limiting time for non-school activities.

Educational decisions should be made for educational reasons. Iowa's long-standing tradition of local control of the school calendar should be maintained, allowing districts to schedule according to local needs. The Iowa State Fair and the tourism industry are each important in their own way, but neither should be prioritized over the education of Iowa students.

' Ronald Fadness is the president of the Decorah Community School District Board of Education, and a member of the Legislative Resolutions Committee of the Iowa Association of School Boards. Comments: ronald.fadness@decorah.k12.ia.us