STATEHOUSE (March. 3, 2010) - Indiana school superintendents and board members are being encouraged by associations representing their interests at the Statehouse to voluntarily move back the start of school to late August.

In an e-mail sent to local superintendents and school board members across the state, association representatives encouraged schools to “be proactive and avoid a state mandate” by striving for a later school start date on their own.

State Sen. Mike Delph (R-Carmel), in response to the e-mail, requested that language he authored requiring schools to set a post-Labor Day start date beginning in 2012 be removed from House Bill 1367.

“I believe in these final days of session, lawmakers should instead be focusing on providing school corporations more local flexibility in school funding,” Delph said. “I thank both statewide organizations for their encouragement and hope school corporations make good faith efforts in moving toward later school start dates. I will continue to monitor the issue and I am prepared to address it again next session if necessary.”

According to the associations’ e-mail messages, “The explanation for early-August has generally been to prepare students for September ISTEP testing but the test is now administered in the spring, which seemingly voids testing as a reason.” The letter goes on to say by making this slight adjustment to the school calendar corporations could protect future local control of start dates.

Delph said he authored the legislation this session to provide Hoosier families with more flexibility in scheduling summer family activities, many which have traditionally been enjoyed during August.

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