The long-standing debate about whether school should start before or after Labor Day is about to resurface - but this time it will be in the form of legislation.
Rep. Randy Foose, D-New London, has proposed a bill that would not allow schools to open before Labor Day. The bill will be up for discussion when the Legislature convenes in January.
The proposal was driven by economic concerns, Foose said.
"I put the legislation in because I was approached by several constituents who operate summer businesses," he said. "They said there were serious problems with access to good summer labor by starting school earlier."
For a state like New Hampshire, which depends on summer and fall tourism, hiring summer helpers who can work until the "unofficial" end of summer is crucial for small businesses, according to Foose.
If the proposal becomes law, it would affect all eight local school districts, from Pelham to Sanborn. Most of those districts adjusted their schedules more than 10 years ago and now begin the school year in late August.
At the Timberlane Regional School District, the School Board chose to start after Labor Day this year, for the first time in several years, according to high school Principal Don Woodworth.
"The advantage to me, as a principal, was it gave me more advance time to be organized with my staff," he said. "The ready-set-go opportunity, those are the positives, and any negatives I'd be reaching to find."
Foose said he knows some will oppose the bill, even in the Kearsarge Regional School District where he lives, but he said a lot of research went into the bill.
"I learned that in Michigan the statute was recently passed, and I believe there are a couple of other states that are doing it as well," he said. "This is something that is going on across the country, and it seems reasonable to put on the list of things to talk about this year."
Salem Superintendent Michael Delahanty said there is a good reason for starting the school year in August - the state now mandates 180 days of school, unlike in previous generations.
"Most of us grew up starting after Labor Day; however, we went (to school) for fewer days, too," he said. "The imposition of a longer school year necessitates we start early so we aren't in school until the last week in June."
Rep. Randy Foose, D-New London, has proposed a bill that would not allow schools to open before Labor Day. The bill will be up for discussion when the Legislature convenes in January.
The proposal was driven by economic concerns, Foose said.
"I put the legislation in because I was approached by several constituents who operate summer businesses," he said. "They said there were serious problems with access to good summer labor by starting school earlier."
For a state like New Hampshire, which depends on summer and fall tourism, hiring summer helpers who can work until the "unofficial" end of summer is crucial for small businesses, according to Foose.
If the proposal becomes law, it would affect all eight local school districts, from Pelham to Sanborn. Most of those districts adjusted their schedules more than 10 years ago and now begin the school year in late August.
At the Timberlane Regional School District, the School Board chose to start after Labor Day this year, for the first time in several years, according to high school Principal Don Woodworth.
"The advantage to me, as a principal, was it gave me more advance time to be organized with my staff," he said. "The ready-set-go opportunity, those are the positives, and any negatives I'd be reaching to find."
Foose said he knows some will oppose the bill, even in the Kearsarge Regional School District where he lives, but he said a lot of research went into the bill.
"I learned that in Michigan the statute was recently passed, and I believe there are a couple of other states that are doing it as well," he said. "This is something that is going on across the country, and it seems reasonable to put on the list of things to talk about this year."
Salem Superintendent Michael Delahanty said there is a good reason for starting the school year in August - the state now mandates 180 days of school, unlike in previous generations.
"Most of us grew up starting after Labor Day; however, we went (to school) for fewer days, too," he said. "The imposition of a longer school year necessitates we start early so we aren't in school until the last week in June."
And because school years are longer now than they were years ago, Delahanty said, no matter when school starts, school-age workers will be absent as employees for a small portion of the summer.
"Take the laborers out of the June work force or take them out of the late-August work force," he said. "I don't believe it's a legitimate argument."
2007 School Start Dates
Chester: Aug. 28
Derry: Aug. 29
Londonderry: Aug. 30
Pelham: Aug. 29
Sanborn: Aug. 27
Salem: Aug. 29
Timberlane: Sept.4
Windham: Aug. 29
Labor Day was Sept. 3.
