A state task force voted 8-7 Wednesday to recommend that the General Assembly push the start of Delaware’s school year past Labor Day.
Delaware Tourism Director and task force chair Linda Parkowski said the group, made up of lawmakers, educators and representatives from the tourism industry, considered a variety of factors in making its recommendation.
“This task force was really charged with three things,” Parkowski said. “One was to look at the effect on the education system. But the others were to look at the effect on summer tourism and the economy, and if you look at the last two, the effect is significant.
The task force weighed the effect the change would have on the First State’s educational system versus the end-of-summer tourism industry, which relies on high schoolers for both commerce and as a large part of its workforce.
The task force’s recommendation includes an opt-out clause that a allow schools to start pre-Labor Day under certain circumstances, something Delaware Tourism Director Linda Parkowski says was discussed at length
“The ability to have local control was a really strong current that ran through the entire meeting, especially from the educators’ perspectives,” she said.
A representative from Virginia’s tourism industry introduced the idea of an opt-out provision during April’s task force meeting. Virginia has started school after Labor Day for two decades.
Parkowski says it's up to the General Assembly to craft the mechancics of the opt-out clause, but noted it would likely involve waivers for hardship or year round schools.
A similar task force in Maryland made a similar post-Labor Day start recommendation to its legislature Tuesday, though without an opt-out caveat.
The task force plans to have its recommendations finalized by the end of June. It is then up to the General Assembly whether to take up legislation to make the change or not.
