Save our summers

Parents who lobbied to save their children’s summers join Governor Mark Sanford in Myrtle Beach as he signs a bill that prohibits schools from beginning before the third Monday in August. Photo courtesy of South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism

Governor Mark Sanford signed a bill into law that restricts SC school districts from starting any earlier than the third Monday in August beginning with the 2007-08 school year.

The bill was the culmination of a grassroots effort by parents from across the state spearheaded by Jeanette Henderson, a Charleston mother, and Larry McKeown, a Columbia father. This group of parents accomplished in two years what the tourism industry could not accomplish in six.

Key issues of the
Save our summers debate

+ Summer time vs. school time

Instructional time is the same – 180 days regardless of start date. The school year has become longer over the years to accommodate anywhere from 21 to 30 holidays, ten professional development days, and numerous half-days.

Larry McKeown, parent of a student at Hand and one at Dreher, and Jeanette Henderson who has children in public school in Charleston, wait to go to the House Education Subcommittee meeting.

+ Parents vs. holidays and half-days

The drawn out calendar that results from early start dates requires working parents to find childcare at non-traditional times. Childcare for intermittent days off, half-days, and early and late starts can be hard to find and expensive.

+ August heat vs. school time

School districts across the country have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in electric bills by delaying the start of school.

+ Teacher education vs. student education

Shortened summers inhibit teachers’ ability to pursue additional education and require them to find time during the academic year late in the evenings and on weekends. Shorter summers also require teachers to work more days for the same pay.

+ State control vs. local control

While opponents of the bill argued that it took away local autonomy, parents like Greenwood’s Larry Davis who had no success working through local school boards said that when local officials ignored them, they were forced to go to the state level.

+ Workers vs. students

The Employment Policies Institute found students who had summer jobs were more likely to obtain better jobs after graduation. Many students work during summer months to earn money to help pay for miscellaneous expenses and save for college. Early start dates prohibit them from earning life experience and money from these jobs.

+ January exams vs. December exams

Teachers who supported the bill said the two weeks prior to winter break can be the most hectic of the year, and many students have higher energy levels and lower academic performance during the season. Ten states regarded as the best in the nation use the traditional calendar and take exams in January.

+ Family time

Normal summer breaks provide time for family activities in place of days packed with homework, carpools, lessons, events, and meetings.

Opponents of the bill said the later start date will force a later end date, but this has been proven unnecessary. Horry County schools regularly start in the last week of August and end in the first week of June. Their test scores are consistently among the best in the state. Greenville County started August 22 and will end June 1. Their students also perform well on standardized tests.

South Carolina is one
of a growing number of states to recently address increasingly early school
start dates. Across the country, parents are lobbying for a more traditional
schedule, which runs from Labor Day to Memorial Day. For more information visit
www.saveSCsummers.com .