A bill that would’ve forced Idaho’s public schools to start each academic year after Labor Day is dead.
The House Education Committee voted 9-5 Thursday morning to squash the bill after school districts heavily opposed it.
All public schools would’ve been required to begin classes the Tuesday after Labor Day each September under the proposal. Start times vary across the state, with some starting as early as mid-August.
Grace School District Superintendent Jason Moss said starting classes at that point would disrupt a two-week break during the September potato harvest.
“If it’s wet, we extend it even further, which would render the first few weeks of school pretty much useless because they’ll forget a lot of what they learned,” Moss said.
Other school officials said parents in their district prefer the earlier start time in exchange for longer holiday breaks.
Idaho PTA President Alexis Morgan said the bill would erode control local citizens have on their daily lives.
“Idaho has built its reputation on local control. We trust governments to decide levy elections, curriculum materials and graduation pathways. Why would we not trust them to set a calendar,” Morgan said.
A lobbyist for the lodging and restaurant industry in Idaho was the only supporter of the proposal.
Pam Eaton said earlier start dates hurt businesses.
“A lot of our most popular tourism areas have to close down because either they don’t have enough workers, or they can’t depend on how many people are there because the majority are now in school,” Eaton said.
Lawmakers on the House Education Committee largely sided with the local control argument.
They said they could understand both sides of the issue, but that these decisions should ultimately be made by local school boards to best accommodate their patrons.
The bill is now effectively dead for the year, but similar legislation could be introduced with support from Republican leadership.
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