This compromise not justified

Gazette Editorial Board

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A ? new proposal to restrict Iowa school districts' ability to determine their calendars is being pitched as a compromise between educators and the tourism industry.

We're as supportive as anyone of the Iowa State Fair and Iowa tourism in general, but we don't see any justification in this idea to compromise on what should be a locally controlled decision.

State law requires that the K-12 school year start no earlier than the week of

Sept. 1, but most school districts, for various reasons, routinely seek and receive waivers that allow them to begin as early as mid-August.

Iowa tourism advocates don't like that. They say the earlier start dates cut into family vacation time and force teenagers to cut their summer jobs short. They've tried and failed for several years to encourage legislators to tighten up the law.

Last spring, Gov. Terry Branstad announced that the Iowa Department of Education would change the rule for waivers. The proposal, before the Iowa State Board of Education this week for a vote, would require local school districts seeking to start classes more than seven days early to demonstrate that complying with the statutory start date would have a “significant negative impact” on their district and its students, using test score data, budget and staffing numbers.

The State Board of Education will hear public comments on the proposal at two public hearings, the first of which is set for Sept. 10. We encourage school district leadership, teachers, parents and students to make their voices heard.

As for us, we think the proposal on the table is not a good compromise. It looks like bureaucratic expansion. The decision about when to begin the school year should be a local one - with school boards and communities determining the date best suited to their students, staff and schools.

The burden shouldn't be on school districts to prove they've got a solid enough reason to interfere with late-season tourism. Their job is to consider the academic environment and put their students' education first. If that means putting school start dates ahead of September, that's OK.

Iowa tourism advocates have been clear about their preferences and concerns. School districts and their constituents should take

them into consideration. We expect they're more relevant to some communities than to others.

But we'd hate to see districts forced to value what's good for tourism over what advances students' education. Better to leave the waiver system as it stands.

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