Bill to delay start of school year tabled-WEB ONLY

Several parents made a pitch yesterday for a proposed state law that would prohibit traditional public schools in Indiana from starting their academic year earlier than late August.

Parents from schools that started this school year as early as Aug. 11 said earlier start dates that many schools have turned to mean higher building cooling costs and rob their kids of longer vacations that would leave them rested and ready for class.

“Now days our kids return to school crabby and restless,” said Brenda Swank of Granger in far northern Indiana. She said her two children started this school year Aug. 13.

The parents favored a bill by Rep. Ryan Dvorak (D-South Bend) that would prohibit traditional public schools from beginning their school year any earlier than the last Monday in August.

But critics said it would result in less teaching time and tarnish Indiana’s education image.

After about 45 minutes of testimony, Democratic Rep. Gregory Porter of Indianapolis announced that his House Education Committee would not vote on the bill because there were too many uncertainties about it.

Dvorak said later that he would continue working on the bill in hopes of reviving it either later this session or next. He said there was widespread support for the bill among many parents across the state, and predicted that the support would keep growing.

Under current law, Indiana’s public schools are required to have at least 180 instructional days, with at least five hours of instructional time per day in elementary schools and six hours in middle schools and high schools. But the date the school year begins is up to individual districts.

Many of the districts have been moving to earlier starting dates in August, in part because local school officials believed students needed more time to prepare for statewide tests that for the past several years have been given in September.
The tests will now be given in the spring – another reason parents cited in pushing for later starting dates.

Dvorak said his bill would require children to be in school for at least 170 days, but schools could still meet current teaching-time requirements by simply adding 15 minutes of class time per day.

Some parents noted that some old schools do not have air conditioning, and students have a hard time learning in hot classrooms.

But Gary Wallyn, director of school accreditation at the state Department of Education, said Dvorak’s bill would result in less teaching time.

And Derek Redelman, a lobbyist for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, said that lowering the 180-day requirement would damage Indiana’s education reputation. If anything, he said, lawmakers should be looking for ways to expand the school year.

Dvorak’s bill would not apply to year-round schools, which divide their vacation time throughout the year with shorter but more frequent breaks.