Early Birds: Areas Schools Push for August Start

MILWAUKEE, WI — School districts would be able to choose when to start their academic year before Sep. 1 under a new - and yet not new - bill currently being circulated in the state legislature by State Rep. Jim Ott.

Under his bill, Ott is seeking to repeal a 2002 law that forces school districts to start no earlier than Sep. 1.

Ott introduced similar bills in 2007, 2013 and 2015, to no avail.

According to a Wisconsin State Journal report, John Forester, director of the School Administrators Alliance, which represents about 3,000 principals, superintendents and other administrators, said districts are asking for the start date restrictions lifted to meet the present-day demand.

For example, he told the State Journal that districts responsible for bussing private school students want to be able to have public and private schools start together.

Several school districts have already passed resolutions in support Ott's legislation, citing:

• Local control over the start date would allow officials to align school calendars with higher education.
• Allow for more days of instruction to prepare students more for the ACT and AP exams.
• Allow public districts to synchronize calendars with private schools.
• Allow the district to align its school calendar with the extra curricular activities that start before school begins for the year.

>>> image via shutterstock