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January 27, 2007

Local parent campaigns to save summer - Supports HB 95, wants later start date in August

By GINA KINSLOW The Glasgow Daily Times Sat Jan 27, 2007, 03:10 PM CST

Monica Froedge was upset to learn that area school superintendents don’t support House Bill 95 which prohibits school districts from establishing the first instructional day in a school term before the fourth Monday in August.

Froedge, a Glasgow parent who launched a Web site last summer called “Save Our Kentucky Summers,” says she and other parents would like to see schools start later in August.

HB 95 calls for the state to mandate when Kentucky schools can begin and says classes should start on Sept. 4, but there is some language in the bill that she doesn’t like.

“This bill was an old bill that was filed without the amendments necessary for passage,” she said. “We are expecting to add these (amendments) to the bill when it comes up in committee.”

One of the amendments calls for the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) to be moved to the end of the school year rather than taking place the last week of April, first week of May so schools have more or less 165 instructional days before the tests are given.

Another amendment would grant waivers to districts operating or wishing to operate year-round school calendars.

Arguments for making the changes in the calendar are numerous, including violation of the federal No Child Left Behind act due to Adequate Yearly Progress not being reported before the start of school, and the loss of revenue in tourist dollars due to the shortened summer, which is substantial to the education budget, among others, Froedge said.

Area superintendents addressed the issue at a joint school board meeting with Sen. Richie Sanders, R-Franklin, and Rep. Johnny Bell, D-Glasgow, on Jan. 20.

Dr. Fred Carter, superintendent of the Glasgow Independent School District, pointed out during the meeting that HB 95 not only calls for a later school start date but features no fall break and allows students to be off only one day for Thanksgiving. Christmas break would be reduced to one week rather than two under the proposed legislation, and students would have one week of spring break. Classes would dismiss on June 10 if school is not canceled for inclement weather in the winter.

At that meeting, Carter said, “It is just totally unworkable as it is proposed.”

Dr. Jerry Ralston, superintendent of the Barren County School System, said, “We feel very strongly (the development of school calendars) need to be a local decision. We have to plan our calendar way in advance. We do know that being in a large district, (which) has a chance of missing several days of school because of weather, impacts that.”

Froedge said she is not against the superintendents.

“The superintendents are under so much pressure for these CATS tests that they are not going to say, ‘OK, we’re going to start a week later than the neighboring districts,’” she said. “We’re not saying do anything with the breaks. That’s totally up to for the local people to decide.”

She said she and other parents just “want the bulk of our August back.”

Other states have either already adopted legislation permitting a later school start date, or are in the process of getting similar legislation passed.

For more information about “Save Our Kentucky Sum-mers” and other states’ stand on the issue, visit www. savekentuckysummers.com.

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Local parent campaigns to save summer - Supports HB 95, wants later start date in August

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