Legislators and School Calendars

Local school boards have chafed under the thumb of politicians in Richmond for decades, having to implement one unfunded mandate or instructional policy after another hoisted upon them by office-bound bureaucrats.

There is perhaps no more symbolic Richmond requirement than the law barring local school boards from opening prior to Labor Day.

Enacted in the 1980s under the sponsorship of a powerful Democratic legislator from Winchester, the law was quickly dubbed the “Kings Dominion Relief Act.” Why? Because the Ashland theme park pleaded that a shortage of teen workers for its last big weekend of the summer was cutting into its economic viability. Busch Gardens in Williamsburg and Kings Dominion were the sources of nice donations to the majority Democrats in the run-up to the vote on the bill.

Critics, then and now, rightly said the idea was an improper intrusion by state government into what is essentially a local decision: setting the school calendar. Among the most vociferous critics was former state Sen. Elliot Schewel, D-Lynchburg, the chairman of the Education and Health Committee.

Despite having logic on their side, foes of the bill were unable to block its passage, and it’s been the bane of local school boards ever since.

Though modified slightly to accommodate divisions subject to Mother Nature’s winter wrath more so than others, the law is the epitome of meddling from Richmond in local government. Efforts to repeal it have repeatedly failed, thanks to industry lobbying.

The corporations that own Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens and the greater tourism industry in the state contend the commonwealth’s families need that last weekend of summer, one last family bonding time before the grind of another school year starts.

Isn’t that just so special.

Bottom line, it’s about the bottom line. Money. Profits.

Oh sure, divisions can get exemptions if they suffer an undue number of missed days due to bad weather, but still the message is a powerful one: Richmond values the tourism industry more than the job of educating our schoolchildren.

This year, Del. Bob Tata, R-Virginia Beach, has introduced legislation that would allow divisions to open before Labor Day on years when the holiday falls on or after Sept. 5. According to media reports, that would happen nine years between now and 2030.

Tata, the chairman of the education committee in the House of Delegates, pulled off an amazing feat earlier this week: getting his own committee to send the bill to the full House over the loud opposition of industry opponents. A nearly identical bill has made its way to the State Senate for its consideration.

As in the past with efforts to repeal the Labor Day opening law, the tourism industry is mounting a spirited lobbying effort to defeat the bill. Any chink in the armor is a sign of weakness.

The entire idea of subjugating public education to the profit-driven motives of any one given industry should be repugnant to every Virginian. Study after study shows American students slipping in competitiveness when compared to their peers around the world; one state politician after another touts the educational goal of “making our students more competitive nationally and globally.” But their actions make you doubt their sincerity.

In a perfect world, Del. Tata’s bill would sail through the Assembly on its way to the governor’s desk for his signature.

This isn’t a perfect world, but his legislation still deserves the legislature’s approval.