[nuconvert]

new from Dave Barry, Pong

[madprof98]

Schools in the Atlanta metro area are also starting this early. When you get behind the rhetoric, the reason seems to be the teachers' unions. To get raises, the teachers have to attend summer classes in the state college system, and the new public-school schedule is designed around the college schedule. It has nothing at all to do with the needs of children.

[Vor Lady]

Hey Dave,

You could try home schooling! I'm starting my new school year Aug 15, but that is only so we can take the entire month of December off.

[ladyjane]

Florida

[calex59]

Kids in CA are starting on Aug 10th this year. The answer to the question of why is money. The simple truth is that schools get fed money for every day that a child is in attendance. Start earlier and you have more money at the end of the school year.

In this area of CA, the northeastern part, in the mountains, the reason given for the early starts are snow days. While there are at least two days worth of closures of schools here every year for snow days, I have yet to see a year when we were shut down for two weeks for snow, so that reason falls flat. MONEY is the real reason, with control thrown in as a close second. Homeschool and push for vouchers.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Dave Barry nails it. Any school system that starts on Aug 8th parents should pull their kids out of the schools then.

I don't know why schools don't start the Tuesday after Labor Day and end the Thursday before Memorial Day.

[mtbopfuyn]

While I never understood not starting school on any day other than the Tuesday after Labor Day, I have to disagree with Barry on one point. Why in the world would any parent drag their kids off on vacation in the middle of a hot scorching August?

[Lancey Howard]

Excellent!
My nephews, in the Dallas school system, always stared in the middle of August. That will never happen in my family. Summer is for OFF from school. Some private school could probably make a lot of money by advertising that summer is for vacation.

[SouthernFreebird]

We used to start that early, this year we won't start until the 18th due to us being sick and tired of not having summer vacation time and our kids sweltering in the classrooms. The teachers didn't like losing some of those work days one bit.

[tertiary01]

I don't want to hear how the school districts need money when they condone a schedule that almost guarantees that all the classrooms will need extra air conditioning. PG and E should just love the new school year schedules. Also for those schools that still have PE I'm sure that will be a waste of time until the temps go down.

[garyhope]

I remember as a kid eagerly awaiting the end of Spring and the beginning of Summer. Summer started May 30th when school ended for the year. It was like getting out of jail or prison. It was an end to torture. And thank God or the school "authorities" that it didn't start back up until after Labor day.

Why does school go on forever now?

I'm not convinced that kids need 12 years of school either.

I'd be satisfied if some of the dummies out there could simply do simple math, could write and speak somewhat coherently, remember to take their hats off indoors, not put their feet on the furniture, wash, brush their teeth, comb their hair and say "please" and "thank you". That would be a major improvement in public "education".

We need more plumbers, electricians, gardeners, farmers and clerks, etc., not "sales associates" or "partners".

[SE Mom]

I love Dave Barry...once again he NAILS it.

In some counties here in Florida they started school LAST WEEK. Yes- LAST week.

[Politicalmom]

I don't see what's up with all the whining. My kids start on the 15th. They have been out since the middle of May. I am fine with it. They got their three months off.

Our school has a semester before Christmas and one after. It seems quite logical to me.

[WV Mountain Mama]

Wait until his child's school starts the year round BS!

[JRios1968]

I grew up in Puerto Rico. During my entire K-12 time, we always started during the second week of August and ended in the middle of May, taking the entire Holy Week off. Going to private school or college was a kick, because then you were able to start in the third week of August!

Starting school in September seems weird to me...but then again, that's just me.

[Aggie Mama]

I heard that there is a bill up for vote in Texas to have school start after Labor Day. Apparently, the tourism industry has been hard-hit by school starting early.

[skr]

In NW Florida school started on Aug. 4. Next year it's starting on Aug. 3.

[World'sGoneInsane]

I don't think the FCAT acronym is the reason. It is more like the FACT that most of these people are probably fed up with their kids by August 1. They are happy to have their kids "institutionalized" by then.

While I am not a home schooler, I always felt the two months off from school was very valuable to my children to learn about life.

[World'sGoneInsane]

P.S. What do you expect of Broward County voters????

[Mr. Mojo]

When should the school year start?

The Wednesday after Labor Day weekend. .....as is the tradition.