Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 4, 1995 TAG: 9511050016
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Bain, a School Board candidate in Pulaski County, said localities should have the right to decide when to start school.
"We certainly do not need Richmond's input or permission," he said.
The profits of Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens and other tourist attractions should not determine whether schools can open before Labor Day, Bain said.
In recent years, the tourism lobby has persuaded the General Assembly to kill several bills that would allow schools to open before Labor Day.
The tourist industry argues that early school openings would deprive it of the teen-age work force needed to run hotels, restaurants and amusement parks in the busiest period of the year.
The law banning pre-Labor Day openings was enacted in 1986.
But most of the Western Virginia school board candidates who responded to a survey by The Roanoke Times oppose it.
When winter weather causes schools to close for many days, localities can get a waiver to open before Labor Day the following school year. But many localities do not miss enough days to get waivers.
Van Flora, a candidate in Franklin County, said localities in Western Virginia should always be allowed to open before Labor Day because they miss so much time because of snow. Some school divisions have missed 20 days because of bad weather in recent years.
"In areas where you have a lot of bad weather, it's necessary" to start before Labor Day, Flora said.
Hunter Hale, a candidate in Bedford County, said the state is interfering where it is not needed. The opening date should be determined by the local school board, he said.
The decision should be made by a school division's teachers and other staff members, said Stanley Butler, a Bedford County candidate.
Michael Beahm of Botetourt County said Western Virginia is not as affected by tourism as the eastern part of the state.
"We have reasons for needing to start the school year early that are equally as important as the tourism concerns in the other parts of the state," Beahm said.
"Localities should be able to set the school calendars for their school systems," said Carol White, a candidate in Roanoke County.
Amanda Davis of Franklin County said she supports a pre-Labor Day opening for schools. "It did so when I went to school, and I did not see where it was harmful to myself and my fellow students," Davis said.
But one Franklin County candidate disagrees.
"Temperatures can be unbearable [before Labor Day], and I see no reason to start school earlier," G.B. Washburn Jr. said.
Robert Anderson, a candidate in Montgomery County, said schools shouldn't open before Labor Day unless there is a good reason.
"To start early and then have a couple of days off right at the beginning of the school year doesn't make sense to me," Anderson said.
But Benny Shrader of Bedford County said the school calendar should be a local issue.
"Post-Labor Day starting of school is not desirable in the Bedford area because snow days can push the school calendar into mid-June, when educators report that effective teaching is more difficult," Shrader said.
"It should be left up to the local [school] boards," said Russell "Butch" Wright of Bedford County. "Tourism in eastern Virginia should not dictate the starting time for schools in central and Western Virginia."
by CNB