BY OLYMPIA MEOLA
A measure that would allow school districts to starts classes before Labor Day cleared the House Education Committee this morning by a 16-4 vote and now heads to the full House of Delegates.
The action comes the week after a Senate committee killed a similar bill, which means an uncertain future for the legislation if it wins approval by the full House.
A debate over whether students should be boarding a bus or punching a clock come Labor Day has become a perennial battle in the state legislature, with educators lining up in favor of allowing localities to choose whether to start before Labor Day, and the state’s tourism and hospitality industry voicing opposition.
Under the so-called Kings Dominion law, schools that want to open before Labor Day — a last blast for family vacations and the state’s tourist destinations — need a waiver from the Virginia Board of Education, which can grant one for “good cause.”
That includes, for example, a school system that has been closed an average of eight days a year during five of the previous 10 years because of severe weather, power failures or other emergencies.
Over the years, bill supporters say, the exception has become the rule, as 77 of the state’s 132 school divisions now have a waiver. This year, Gov. Bob McDonnell threw his political heft behind the effort to dump the post-Labor Day opening requirement, which was a reversal from his days as a legislator from Virginia Beach.
The measure was nicknamed the Kings Dominion law because the Hanover County theme park was among the businesses that pushed for the measure in the 1980s. The bill was first signed into law for two years in 1986 and then permanently in 1988.
The bill’s opponents, including the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia Retail Federation, argued today that shortening the peak summer season would mean a major loss in economic activity in the state.
Two members of the Hanover County Board of Supervisors asked the committee this morning to oppose the bill, citing its potential impact on tourism and agriculture.
Angela Kelly-Wiecek, of the Chickahominy district, said she represented the school board and superintendent as well.
“We are the home of Kings Dominion,” she said. “And I hate to hear our businesses vilified because a vote for a strong and vibrant tourist industry is a vote for positive cash flow for our local governments and our local governments are the very ones who fund our local school boards and our local schools. So I don’t see it as a choice between tourism or healthy education.”
The bill’s sponsor, Del. Robert Tata, R-Virginia Beach, said the legislation would give each local school board the flexibility to set its own school calendar. Schools could open no earlier than two weeks before Labor Day and no later than the day after Labor Day, under the bill.
Tom Smith, with the Virginia Association of school Superintendents, said the change would allow school divisions to maximize the amount of instructional time before a series of tests are administered — including Advanced Placement and Standards of Learning assessments.
Del. Thomas A. “Tag” Greason , R-Loudoun, said he couldn’t understand the potential economic impact because if his family allots a certain amount of money for summer vacation, they spend that much no matter what the time frame.
“I don’t understand the economic impact of this at all. I’m gong to spend my thousand dollars this year regardless of when school starts.”
