Are More Changes to School Start Date on the Way for Johnston?

Are more changes on the way for the Johnston school district calendar?

Questions over when to start classes in the Johnston school district were when the school board voted to begin the 2012-13 school year on Aug. 16.

But recent discussion in the Iowa Legislature could change all that. The Iowa House recently passed a measure that would not allow Iowa schools to start before the fourth Monday in August. The bill now goes on to the Senate for debate.

Should the state decide when school can start? And should tourism and visits to the Iowa State Fair be part of that decision? Tell us in comments below.

Currently, Iowa law says that school cannot start before the week of Sept. 1.

However, hundreds of Iowa districts, including Johnston, receive waivers to start school in August.

According to a Des Moines Register article, last year 346 of the 351 school districts in Iowa received the waiver last year. Under the new legislation, the waiver process would all but be done away with.

For several months beginning in November, the Johnston school board .

The current school year began on Aug. 15, earlier than it had in the past, which didn't sit well with many parents trying to get in vacation time or trips to the Iowa State Fair, which runs Aug. 9-19. The earlier start date was to allow secondary students to complete finals before winter break.

After a , it was determined the earlier start date didn't have an effect on test scores, but was favored by those surveyed.

The school board ultimately chose a calendar starting Aug. 16 and ending May 21. The aim is to keep semester finals before winter break.

According to the Register article, supporters of the bill said the change would boost tourism in the state and give students further opportunities for learning outside the classroom. 

“I hope all of us here realize that all learning does not go on in a school,” said Rep. Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield. Noting the educational benefits of participating in the State Fair, he added in the article, “I can tell you a kid can learn a whole lot at the end of rope when the other end is hooked to a 1,250-pound animal.”

However, critics said the new law took away district's ability to build a calendar to their communities' needs.

“I believe strongly that this is a local control issue, and we shouldn’t be dictating to school districts how they should run their calendars,” said Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City in the Register article. “I trust our local boards to ask the parents, ask the teachers, ask the administrators, ‘What works best in your community?’ ”

The issue is far from over, since it must still pass the Senate and signed by the governor before being adopted.

But it's no doubt the issue could come back to local districts, such as Johnston.