The school year will get a later start in the City of Atlanta next year, and soon that may be the norm statewide.
Tuesday, the Atlanta school board tentatively approved calendars for the next three years that call for school to start on the second Monday in August, more than a week later than recent years. This move came as Senators and other key stakeholders prepare for their first meeting of the Senate Study Committee on Evaluating the School Year Calendar of Georgia Public Schools next week.
The committee is scheduled to meet for the first time on October 9 at the Capitol. The group, created by the passage of Senate Resolution 1068 during the 2018 Legislative Session, is tasked with taking a look at how Georgia compares to other states who still use a more traditional school calendar with their start dates after Labor Day.
Sen. Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega) will chair the committee. He is joined by Sen. Mike Dugan (R–Carrollton), Sen. John Wilkinson (R–Toccoa), Sen. Jack Hill (R–Reidsville), Mr. Grier Todd, appointed by Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, Deputy Commissioner of Tourism for the Georgia Department of Economic Development Kevin Langston, Georgia Chamber of Commerce designee Michael Owens, Director of the Georgia Travel Association Kelsey Moore, Executive Director of the Georgia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus Jay Markwalter, Camila Knowles, appointed by Governor Nathan Deal, and State Board of Education designee Scott Johnson.
The committee will review the effect of varied school start dates on the travel and hospitality industries. Many have already begun looking at the issue — including posting surveys on their Facebook pages. Some have even mentioned the possibility of starting schools after Labor Day.
“We look forward to hearing from all key stakeholders on how this shift would impact our public schools, students, parents and the tourism industry,” said Gooch. “Our goal is to determine if a later start date is feasible and if it would provide additional opportunities for families to take a vacation together while increasing the availability of summer workers for our booming travel and hospitality industries. We will review these possibilities while also ensuring that there will be no disruption to the education of our children.”
“August is typically the hottest time of year when energy bills reach their peak and student athletes’ safety is a big concern.”
The committee must report its findings on or before December 1, 2018.
