Members are urged to take three minutes and send a message to the Senate Education and Health Committee and the House Education Committee to OPPOSE ANY CHANGE to the Post-Labor Day law. These two committees are considering bills that would create an economic loss of $360 million in our Commonwealth by starting schools prior to Labor Day. Click here for additional information on this issue.

Background

• Current law prohibits school divisions from opening prior to Labor Day without a waiver.  This law has been in existence since 1988.

• While 77 of 132 school divisions have a waiver, the remaining divisions represent over two-thirds of the Commonwealth’s K -12 students.  Waivers have primarily been granted for snow days in the western part of the state.

• The total economic consequence of shortening the tourism season in Virginia would be $360 million, including $104 million in wages and benefits.  This would create a loss of $21 million in state and local tax revenue.

• JLARC is currently engaged in a study of the school calendar.  This information will not be available until November 2012.  Additional JLARC studies have been requested by Virginia Beach City Council to quantify the economic loss created by this potential policy change.

• Additional instructional time prior to SOL testing can be achieved in a number of ways without shortening the “High” tourist season, flexibility in the length of the school day is one example; a later SOL test date is another.

• The Hospitality industry is challenged by current economic conditions. The prospect of several fewer weeks in the summer will make matters worse.  The primary audience for our attractions and businesses are families from across Virginia, including the more than two-thirds of families whose schools start after Labor Day.

OPPOSE THE FOLLOWING BILLS

HB15 Habeeb

HB43 Tata

HB86 Greason

HB113 Morrissey

HB254 Stolle

HB434 Tata

HB591 Merricks

HB653 Kory

HB1063 Tata

SB456 Vogel

SB457 Marsden