Public forum: Should VBPS start classes before Labor Day?

About 70 people attended Monday’s public forum at Belleville High School to give their opinions on a proposal to start classes before Labor Day.
Twenty-two statements were made both in favor and against the proposal brought before them by School Supt. Pete Kudlak.
He said current state law says students cannot start before Labor Day, but the state allows waivers and Van Buren Public Schools applied for and received initial approval for a three-year waiver. The district doesn’t have to use it, he said.
He said a district has to apply before a decision is made and this forum was part of the process.
Supt. Kudlak said the district had an on-line survey on the subject and there were 303 respondents, which is 68% of the parents, and they were 71% “not in favor” of the idea.
Kudlak said on Facebook it looked like 100% were against it.
He said 59.4% of the teachers were in favor and if you just counted 7-12 grade teachers, 70% were in favor.
At the end of the 40-minute meeting, Kudlak invited those with questions or comments to contact him at [email protected] .
In explaining the proposal, Supt. Kudlak said the state requires 180 school days and 1,098 hours of instruction and with the requirement to start after Labor Day there are very few options for the school calendar.
He said the summer is long and students regress during this time. He said the teachers play catch-up for most of September and an option would be to shorten the summer.
Also, the school year is long and students get burnt out. An option would be to build in additional breaks during the school year, like a week off in February.
It is difficult to keep students engaged in June and an option would be to end school earlier in June than the present June 14, he said.
Parents pointed out this year the students will still be in school as Strawberry Festival starts in Belleville.
Kudlak also said Career Tech students, about 100, miss out on instruction because where they attend, William D. Ford in Wayne/Westland, starts early.
Kudlak pointed out, however, that Band Camp has always been the second to the last week of August and more than 300 students and staff attend. Also, sports practices and games would have to be changed from during the day to after school.
Kudlak said the next step would be to discuss the forum and survey results with union leadership.
Teacher union president Marcus Hosman said last year 38% of the school districts had waivers. He noted Van Buren Public Schools had more half days than any other district in Wayne County and the superintendent wants to change that.
One woman said she would be more comfortable if she had a sample school calendar so she could see what the proposed changes would look like.
Another parent said it would helpful to know when it would start, so they can plan. She said some people plan vacations a year in advance.
Another parent asked Kudlak what he thought and he said he was in favor because it adds flexibility to the calendar. She said if the superintendent and the teachers think it’s the thing to do, the district should do it.
Kudlak said a district in Ohio starts two weeks early and the students take their exams before Christmas break and begin a new semester in January, which works very well.