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Schools
Lawmakers try - again - to set school start date
By RON MATUS
Published January 25, 2007
TALLAHASSEE - Florida's graduation rates are the pits. The achievement gap is a mile wide. But nothing riles parents like the perception that summer break is shrinking. The debate over when to start school, a hot issue in the Legislature last year, flared again Wednesday before the Senate Pre-K-12 committee and promised to linger. "We're not done," said Wayne Blanton, executive director of the Florida School Boards Association. At issue is a bill that would carve a loophole from last year's legislation, which bars school boards from starting school more than 14 days before Labor Day. The new bill, sponsored by Sen. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, would allow school boards to adopt earlier start dates for high schools, which offer Advanced Placement classes and dual enrollment programs with colleges. It would not affect elementary or middle schools. Later start times "will be detrimental to student scores," said Caitlin Carroll, 17, an AP student at Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville. To appease opponents, an amendment passed Wednesday would require that school boards considering an earlier start date first hold three public hearings; survey parents of all students; and pass any change with a two-thirds majority. It wasn't enough. After a debate that rehashed last year's arguments, the bill went down, 3-4. "Let's give the law a chance," urged Sherry Sturner, a South Florida mom who rallied thousands of parents last year as head of Save Our Summers Florida. Since the late 1990s, school has started earlier and earlier. This year, 13 of 67 Florida districts began school in the first week of August; 40 began in the second. Critics say the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is the driving force, and the result is whipsawed vacation plans and teens losing summer jobs. "This is an issue about families," said Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Delray Beach. Supporters, meanwhile, point out that school calendars also are shaped by a desire to end the fall semester before Christmas and that the length of the school year is still at or near 180 days. If the calendar is out of whack with local priorities, they say, then local officials should fix it. But the issue isn't dead. A motion by Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami - one of four senators who voted against the bill - assures it will be on the agenda at the next meeting. Ron Matus can be reached at 727 893-8873 or matus@sptimes.com.
[Last modified January 25, 2007, 05:41:45]
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by michale
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06/12/07 12:13 PM
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i think its awsome!kids need the time off to recooperate their brains!
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by Lisa
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05/02/07 12:42 PM
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That totally bites. School is supposed to start in SEPTEMBER! End of story. Why would you make it earlier? Just to be CRUEL?
LISA
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by Sondra
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03/02/07 11:46 AM
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Classroom time is unaffected. This is a local issue and should not be determined in Tallahassee. The Pinellas County parents, teachers & students I know prefer to end the semester to coincide with winter break, which makes the most sense.
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by Scott
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02/28/07 02:02 PM
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How about sending them to school all yr round...save 2 days off for Thanksgiving, 1 wk off for X-Mas, 1 wk for spring break & maybe 2 wks for summer. They are teaching much more & much faster now days. Computers, advance science...etc,so we keep up.
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by Tracy
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02/28/07 11:10 AM
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I think having July & August (the hottest months) out would be better, and also would coincide with the northern school schedules. What about the religious holidays? Are they staying or going?
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by John
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02/18/07 07:47 PM
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I agree with Angie, What does it matter when the school year starts? So you start in early Aug and end in mid-May instead of starting in mid Sept and end in mid-June. If they push our schools to Sept, then push FCAT to April, instead of March.
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by Joan
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02/15/07 02:26 PM
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I'm sure the schools can work it out. Every other state finds a way to start schools after labor day. I don't see the problem. It seems to be stubborness.
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by Andrea
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01/26/07 09:50 PM
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Forcing a later start date will jeapordize Dual-enrollment, AP exams and winter exams. All of this... negative on our children. Please..they need to vote in the best interest of the CHILDREN!
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by Merridith
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01/25/07 03:54 PM
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I personally do not care when they start school, but only 6 weeks of vacation is quite a silly idea.My kids do a wide range of summer activities,including weeks-long camp sessions away from home.They would NOT give those experiences up! They LEARN.
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by Jane
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01/25/07 09:10 AM
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The old-fashioned, after break exam schedule we're back to now is ridiculous. They got something right for once, when they pushed the school yer up, and now they can't wait to mess it up--heaven forbid the calendar favor students over theme parks!
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by Angie
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01/25/07 08:00 AM
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This article fails to acknowledge the fact that, when STARTING the first week of August, students END their school year by mid-May! Great for vacation! Further, ending the first semester by winter break allows for a stress-free holiday. A schedule!
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by Michelle
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01/25/07 06:36 AM
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I disagree, shortening the school year is not an answer at all. If anything make school all year. Have a 6 week summer from the end of June until early August.
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by Phoebe
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01/25/07 06:07 AM
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We waste many days of actual learning.The day before a holiday break,spring break;last few days of the school year;are days of play,not work.Add shortened school days and students don't recieve 180 days of instruction.Shorten the school year.
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