New school calendars

11/02/03

Huntsville Times

Next year is set; after that, further study is needed

If you have children in Madison County schools, don't make any plans for next fall's two-week break - because there probably won't be one. In fact, many school systems in Alabama could see next year's school calendars changed from this year's. Maybe that's a good thing.

The driving factor in this case is the federal No Child Left Behind Act that allows parents to transfer kids to other schools if their neighborhood schools are underperforming two years in a row. Alabama officials say they can't get the necessary information out in time to let school systems begin classes earlier than Aug. 9. The state school board is expected to set the date soon.

That would affect the Madison County schools, which have had a three-year experiment in two-week fall breaks. It would affect Huntsville and Madison a little, and most state school systems would have to make some kind of adjustment.

Trouble is, setting a school year that begins no earlier than Aug. 9 could last no more than one year. While people can make solid arguments on both sides of when school should start, a little more predictability would be nice. It would help parents plan; it would tell stores when to stock their back-to-school inventories.

Certainly, the situation in Alabama can use a little work. Although the state has one of the shortest instructional calendars in the nation - 175 days - it starts classes much earlier than school systems in some other states. One reason is to fit in the first semester before the Christmas break. Another is to allow for fall and spring breaks.

Whenever the date, a little uniformity seems attractive. And with most of the money for public schools in Alabama coming from the state, letting a state agency make the decision for everyone would seem reasonable and fair.

For the next school year, the Aug. 9 start seems inevitable. For the years beyond, the state board might study the issue with an eye on settling it once and for all for everybody. It's worked with voting hours. Couldn't it work with school calendars?