Mark Your Calendars, Kids: Next year, school won't interrupt summer

Dallas Morning News | Editorials:

“Next year's Aug. 27 start date will be a welcome change. Students won't lose out on any instruction days, but summer vacation actually will extend through the summer.”

Ed Cognoski responds:

As if those August vacation days won't come at the expense of June vacation days. This isn't rocket science, people. If you keep the same number of instruction days, in-service days, holidays, etc., then summer vacation can be only so long. Extend it later in August and that necessarily delays the start of summer vacation the next year. Under either the old calendar or the new, there will still be a lot of hot summer days that students will have to spend in an air-conditioned classroom learning. There are worse things.

In another editorial this same day, The Dallas Morning News throws its support behind better math education. Perhaps we can start by having students count how many June vacation days the state legislature is taking away from them in order to award them with all those extra August vacation days. Perhaps the DMN editorial board can go back to school for that lesson, too. TANSTAAFL.