NH Continues Push To Start School After Labor Day

CONCORD, NH — More than 80 percent of New Hampshire schools started before Labor Day this year. That would end under a "Save Our Summers" campaign started by Gov. Chris Sununu. The father of three school-age children, Sununu announced his plan in late August — when most schools open for the year.

"The decision to start school before Labor Day can have adverse impacts on New Hampshire's tourism and agricultural industry, and is becoming all too frequent," Sununu said in a statement at the time. "I think it's time to change that. Let's save our summers."

This week, Sununu's "Save Our Summers" commission released a report claiming that starting schools after Labor Day would boost tourism spending by up to $20 million.

Some local teacher union officials oppose making the change, saying it would make the end of the school year that much longer.

"Winters can pose significant challenges, due to the number of weather-related cancellations," Doug Ley, president of the American Federation of Teachers, wrote to the commission. "Some of the districts where we have contracts held school quite late into June and our members had to work even later in order to fulfill contractual provisions regarding days and/or hours work."

The commission did not make any specific recommendations, however.

"Restoring a few days in August and beginning school after the traditional end-of-summer holiday would spark economic activity, increase revenues, and bring relief to tourism-dependent businesses and attractions," Commission Chair Jamie Burnett said in a statement. "Importantly, it would also provide students with additional income, work experience, and learning opportunities outside the traditional classroom setting."

Burnett added, "I believe there is a pathway forward to bring uniformity to school calendars and ensure local control for school districts to determine the most effective approach to achieve it."

Should New Hampshire schools start after Labor Day? Share your opinion in the comments.

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