An Annual Tradition

Another topic at Monday’s board meeting that generated a fair amount of discussion - as it does every year - was the issue of the school calendar for the upcoming year.

The three options that were presented to the board offered a clear choice:
    1) You can start the school year after Labor Day, avoiding the conflict with Grange Fair, or
    2) You can have a spring break that is synchronized with the Penn State calendar, or
    3) You can end the year early in June, avoiding some high-heat days, as well as conflicts with summer programs.

You may only pick one.

Over the course of the discussion, however, the idea emerged that a shorter spring break - perhaps two days - might be sufficient for many families who would like to travel and for the students (and teachers) who just need a break from school.

If one accepts that premise, where do we put those three “no-school” days – at the beginning of the school year, or at the end?

During my time on the board, I have consistently favored the post-Labor Day start. Not only does this avoid the conflict with Grange Fair, but, to me, Labor Day has always felt like the traditional end of summer. When I was a parent of school-aged children, I felt shortchanged when school started before Labor Day.

Unfortunately, this point is moot when Penn State - Graham Spanier’s promise to the contrary, notwithstanding – begins classes in August. And I don’t feel as strongly about the issue when Labor Day falls as late as it does this year, on Sept. 7th.

On the other hand, the argument for ending school earlier June has never carried much weight with me, for a couple of reasons. First, - I hate these “when I was in school” proclamations, but here goes - I recall going to school until late June, in a warmer climate. (And yes, I walked uphill both ways..) More to the point, average high temperatures in early June are very similar to average high temperatures in early September.

Second, it’s impossible to realistically plan family vacations or much of anything for mid-June, because the actual end of the school year varies according to the severity of our winter. (Seniors, having graduated, are exempted.)

It’s not yet clear how this will be resolved, but I hope that in 10-15 years, when State College's facilities have been sufficiently upgraded to support year-round education, this will no longer be an issue. By then, perhaps, a future board will have given serious consideration to year-round schooling.