School daze: Start could change again

The Broward School Board will once again consider changing the school start, by considering four potential calendars.

BY STEVE HARRISON
Miami Herald
9/28/05

Broward schools may start the 2006-07 school year in early August, as this year began. Or perhaps midAugust, as they did in 2004. Yet another possibility is to revert to the traditional first day, a week before Labor Day.

The board discussed next year's calendar on Tuesday, reaching no decision but creating plenty of indecision.

Some board members, citing national and local petitions to ''Save Our Summers'' that seek to delay the start of school until the end of August or early September, believe Broward needs to push its start date back to mid or late August. Others, led by Beverly Gallagher, say the school district's current calendar -- in which school started Aug. 8 -- makes sense because students take mid-term exams before winter break and the first and second semesters are approximately the same length.

Board members decided to bring four calendars to parent groups this fall for further discussion:

• School would begin Aug. 7 and end May 24. The first and second semesters are each 90 days, and the first semester would end Dec. 20.

• School would begin Aug. 14 and end May 31. The first semester would be three days shorter than the second, and the first semester would end Dec. 21. This compromise plan got the most support from board members, with six members saying they could support it.

• School would start Aug. 9, a Wednesday, and end on May 24. The semesters are equal, and the first semester ends Dec. 21.

• The fourth schedule will be discussed to placate parents who want to return to South Florida's traditional late start. Under this plan, school would begin Aug. 21 and end June 7. The semesters are equal, but the first semester ends Jan. 25.

The School Board two years ago approved a mid-August start as a transition to this year's Aug. 8 beginning.

''I thought we had reached a conclusion about this,'' said board member Carole Andrews. ``Why are we doing this?''

The reason is a groundswell of support for returning to a late August start, even though almost all other Florida districts start in early August. In addition to the petition, some South Florida legislators have called for state law mandating a late start. Former State Rep. Stacy Ritter of Coral Springs, who is running for the Florida Senate, on Tuesday called for starting school no earlier than Aug. 26.

Superintendent Frank Till and some board members are dubious that any legislative effort to mandate a start date could succeed in Tallahassee.

Board members Marty Rubinstein, Stephanie Kraft, Darla Carter, Maureen Dinnen and Robin Bartleman want to talk about a late schedule.

''It should be data driven,'' said parent Laurie Levinson, who supports a later start. ``And achievement hasn't been improved by moving up the start time.''

Many Florida districts started school sooner to give their students extra time to prepare for the FCAT, but Broward insisted that wasn't its reason.

Gallagher believes the current schedule is the most enjoyable for students because it gives them a two-week winter break, free of studying. It also allows some students to graduate early, and begin college in January.

Miami-Dade hasn't set next year's calendar yet.