Labor Day to mark official back-to-school day in ‘06

07/02/2005

Star Tribune
July 2, 2005

You can’t say this year’s deadlocked Legislature hasn’t done anything about schools.

With little fanfare, a bill preventing schools from starting before Labor Day became law Thursday. It will take effect in 2006.

The Labor Day bill had the advantage of not being part of the education finance bill, which has gotten tangled up in the overall funding dispute.

Instead, it wound up as part of the agriculture, environment and economic development bill, which Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed at least in part to keep state parks from shutting down when the Legislature failed to meet its June 30 state budget deadline.

There are a couple of exemptions to the post-Labor Day start. Schools juggling with construction schedules can start earlier. So can schools in border districts that coordinate activities with districts in other states, said bill author Rep. Larry Howes, R-Walker.

The bill was supported by resort owners, who complained that pre-Labor Day starts cut into their business and seasonal help. School administrators who opposed the bill argued that it took away their flexibility in putting together school-year calendars.