Democrats: June Is Too Hot For School In New Hampshire ... So Let's Start In August

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

It’s too hot to keep kids in school in June, some Democrats argued Tuesday. Which raises an obvious question: What do they think late August feels like?

Legislation that would prevent New Hampshire children from starting public school until after Labor Day inspires passionate debate over issues such as family vacations, learning time, and summer jobs.

But Granite State Democrats opposed to the idea may want to consult a meteorologist. During a Senate Education Committee hearing on Tuesday, several argued that it is simply too hot in New Hampshire classrooms to keep kids in school in June.

Which is why they want to send kids to school in August.

It was an argument that appeared to catch the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Bill Gannon (R-Sandown), off guard.

During Tuesday’s hearing, he reviewed the arguments in favor of keeping kids out of classrooms until Labor Day: more time for families to enjoy summer, more teenagers available for the late-August tourism workforce, and a positive impact on the economy.

He referenced a 2018 study requested by Gov. Chris Sununu — whose family owns Waterville Valley — reporting that “if all public schools had started after Labor Day in 2017, rooms and meals spending in New Hampshire during August and September would have increased by $10.4 million and all recreation and tourism spending by a total of $17.3 million.”

But the real reason he filed the bill, Gannon told the committee, “is that year after year, people come to me and say, ‘Geez, it would be nice if we could get this one last week with the kids.’ The time you get with the family is worth a lot.”

Opponents of the legislation offered a familiar litany of objections. Some object to the state setting a school start date, saying it violates the principle of local control. Others are concerned that since standardized test dates are set at the national level, every day lost in the fall reduces the time students have to prepare.

As president of NEA-New Hampshire, Megan Tuttle said her concerns centered on existing contracts unions have with school districts that might conflict with the start date.

“Many of the CBAs (collective bargaining agreements) that we have include up to four days for professional development, staff days before school actually starts with the children.” Would the clock on those professional days start after Labor Day, too?

If so, that would push the last day of school deeper into June. Snow days could push it back even farther.

“It is hot,” Tuttle said. “It’s very hot in the classrooms when they’re 90 degrees with no air conditioning. So that’s definitely a concern that we have, pushing (the last day of school) back into June.”

Sen. Debra Altschiller (D-Stratham) made a similar argument.

“In the majority of my district, we do not have air conditioning at the elementary level or in the classrooms at the middle school level. So being in school in June … teachers have talked about how we lose instructional time,” Altschiller said. “How does anybody teach or learn if they’re sweating it out in a room that is creeping up to 80 degrees?”

A bemused Gannon responded.

“It’s probably going to be 85 degrees or higher in late August and early September. So I don’t know how that argument would help,” he told Altschiller.

“It’s going to be hotter in late August, around Labor Day weekend, than it would be in the middle of June. June tends to be a cooler month than August — as in ‘the dog days of August.’”

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.