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Push Back School Starts To After Labor Day; Gaffey Says


by turfgrrl


August 29th, 2007 · 19 Comments

Now here’s a good idea from State Senator Gaffey-D Meriden. He sent out a press release announcing that he’s going to push for legislation requiring a more uniform school calendar, starting with school starts after labor day. Starting school after labor day makes total sense.

About three-fourths of the state’s public schools open before Labor Day, but many families find the early start “inefficient and particularly irksome,” Gaffey said in a press release.

More than 70 districts start classes today. Among them is Hartford, with its first pre-Labor Day start in more than a decade.

Gaffey, co-chairman of the legislature’s education committee, called for a more uniform public school calendar to replace school schedules that he said “have splintered over time into an inexplicable hodgepodge,” including interruptions for everything from teacher training days to bad weather.

I’m sure Norwalk’s current BOE would first check with Corda to see whether they should support this or not. Since golf tee times are a little more congested in the summer, starting school earlier might be his preference.

source: The Courant Too Soon To Go Back To School?: Legislator Wants To Require Post-Labor Day Opening, By ROBERT A. FRAHM, August 29, 2007

Tags: In the News

19 Responses so far ↓ “Push Back School Starts To After Labor Day; Gaffey Says”



  • 1 Anonymous // Aug 29, 2007 at 7:46 am

    When I was going to school, it always started AFTER Labor Day. It is ridiculous to start it before. Most people go away for the holiday weekend. Is there some other kind of advantage to starting it before? I have to wonder if there isn’t another Agenda for this.

    After the BoE vote last night, I have to wonder what that Agenda might be.

  • 2 Anonymoose // Aug 29, 2007 at 8:58 am

    Factors:
    Multiple snow days potentially extending the year too long.
    Late June the weather is hot and some schools not air conditioned.
    In late June kids lose all interest in school anyway.
    Most school systems have three school breaks - December, February and April.
    The law requires 180 school days (I think) but I believe you can’t go past end of June? and many people go on vacation and start camp last of June/first of July.
    Therefore:
    Starting the school year a bit early allows some wiggle time at year end.

  • 3 turfgrrl // Aug 29, 2007 at 9:08 am

    Anonymoose: In late August kids have no interest in school. The April/February breaks could be consolidate to a nice single week March break. All classes in June could be turned into dodge-ball resulting in an actual impact on childhood obesity.

  • 4 #13 of the Miserable 25 // Aug 29, 2007 at 11:42 am

    I have to agree with Turfy it would seem to be better to consolidate the breaks into a useful length of time which could be used for a family type vacation period. The Labor Day weekend is one of the largest end of Summer holiday periods we have. I see no reasoning that snow days will extend the school year. In winters where we have little snow it does not count. In fact with the “so called” Global Warming taking place, snow may soon not be a factor at all. How did we get along for decades with school starting
    right after Labor Day?

  • 5 Get real // Aug 29, 2007 at 2:21 pm

    Breaks, and holidays are all in the category of negotiable with teacher’s unions. The breaks will not go away.
    Turffie is being silly and #13 actually takes it seriously LOL.
    BTW no one has taken away Labor Day weekend.
    “How did we get along for decades with school starting
    right after Labor Day?” you’re sounding like an old fuddy duddy, but perhaps you are just conservative - translation - you fight change.

  • 6 Parent // Aug 29, 2007 at 2:24 pm

    And for those of you who have children (not Turffie) the early start is a good way for kids to ease their way back to school, especially the youngsters in elementary (and even the older ones transitioning to their new school). Kids adjust very nicely, oldsters obviously don’t…not that Turffie is old :)

  • 7 #13 of the Miserable 25 // Aug 29, 2007 at 2:49 pm

    Hey! What do I know. I used to walk 2 miles to school.

  • 8 P.O'd Parent // Aug 29, 2007 at 2:55 pm

    Early Start #6? What are you talking about? a few days Difference? One of my children started today because he is staring a new School, my other older one start tomorrow. Families would like to take that last extended vacation week and start school AFTER Labor day. Reduce some holiday time during the year like Turf Girl said or who really cares if the School year ends less than a week later. Is the temperature going to become astomonically hotter in 4 or 5 days time? Really…Get real.

  • 9 Parent // Aug 29, 2007 at 3:05 pm

    “become astomonically hotter”??? sounds like you missed class yourself that day.

  • 10 #13 of the Miserable 25 // Aug 29, 2007 at 3:40 pm

    astomonically hotter”???

    Just another way of saying “Global Warming” give PO’d Parent a break

  • 11 Silence Dogood // Aug 29, 2007 at 3:50 pm

    RE: Mr. Gaffey’s proposal

    Is this proposal the best he can do to improve the schools? Surely there are greater issues that scream for legislation. What will the legislature decide for us next?

  • 12 Anonymous // Aug 29, 2007 at 5:05 pm

    #7-wasn’t that uphill both ways through a snow storm with 2nd hand shoes stuffed with cardboard?

  • 13 Aunt Bertha // Aug 29, 2007 at 7:58 pm

    Corda does not call any snow days anyway so why not start after Labor Day? He can get in another weekend of golf and we can drive to work in a blizzard. We will have students signing up for school well into October. The reason that we start early is becasue the BOE added days to the teachers contract that we should be in school for professional days. AHHH, it’s all crazy.

  • 14 Charles the Hammer // Aug 30, 2007 at 4:23 am

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    Depart Southhampton, England in early April.

    Please apply in person to:

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  • 15 #13 of the Miserable 25 // Aug 30, 2007 at 8:32 am

    Re #12

    Yeah, how did you know? The only difference is that my old man made me a pair of snowshoes out of 2 square hunks of used plywood, and I tied them with rope to my old shoes. The hard part was that they were 2 different sizes 2′x 2′ and 1×3′.

  • 16 #13 of the Miserable 25 // Aug 30, 2007 at 8:34 am

    Re # 14

    At least there we be no shortage of ice for the cocktails….

  • 17 Parent // Aug 30, 2007 at 8:45 am

    #10 you obviously also can’t spell either.

  • 18 Nick Karahalios // Aug 30, 2007 at 9:08 am

    What do you expect he is a product of the Norwalk School System.

  • 19 Anonymous // Sep 3, 2007 at 11:02 pm

    180 days of school is more than the majority of other states and is over excessive. Student in Connecticut schools have no interest in learning in the end of August when it is still warm and sunny outside. After that many days of school kids get burnt out and can not and refuse to concentrate. That many days of school is actually detramental to the Connecticut education program.

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