House Bill 179 requiring all Alabama public school calendars to start and end at the same time is drawing fire from some local school officials, but the author, Rep. Craig Ford (D-Etowah), says it would boost state tourism and thus financially benefit schools.

Coffee County School Superintendent Linda Ingram said earlier she opposes the bill on several levels, not least because it gives that much more control to the state. She also said Coffee County’s modified year-round schedule, which she says improves test scores and lowers absenteeism, wouldn’t work under Ford’s plan.

Ingram said Ford’s bill would force Coffee County schools to carve 14 scheduled break days out of the proposed 2008-2009 calendar.

“There’s not much wiggle room,” she said.

Ford said he is aware of Ingram’s and other superintendents’ feelings toward HB 179, but he said many are confused as to what the bill really does.

“We are not setting a uniform school calendar,” Ford said. “We are trying to extend the tourism season.”

Ford said school systems would still have flexibility within the school year to schedule breaks. His bill would require schools to start no earlier than the third Monday of August in years when there are five Mondays in the month, and no earlier than the second Monday of August all other years. It would also force schools to break for the summer before Memorial Day.

Ford said he believes longer summers are better for working parents, because they can more easily find camps and other programs to keep children occupied during summer months. He said taking a week off in October, for example, puts a hardship on parents who must then arrange for childcare.

“Not everybody gets vacation,” he said.

Ingram disagrees. She said parents in Coffee County have expressed appreciation for the October break, which gives them the opportunity to make trips when the weather is cooler. She also said longer summers mean students forget more of what they learned.

Another of Ford’s arguments involves utility bills.

“We’ve got our students going to school during the hottest time of the year,” he said, insisting his legislation is an answer to that issue.

“School systems will save money on their power bill, and we’ll create a longer tourism season,” he said.

Ingram, who serves as District Three president of the School Superintendents of Alabama, said all of her colleagues oppose the bill.

“We are closer to our public, and we know what they want,” she said, pointing to procedures that afford the community opportunities to give feedback on the school calendar.

Though HB 179 is still in committee, Ford said it stands a good chance at passing this year.

“It’s got a lot of heat behind it,” he said.

The Enterprise Ledger