Seldom has there been a more successful grass-roots effort to bring about change than Measure 8 on the November ballot, the initiative to require that public school classes start after Labor Day.
It’s been parent-driven from the start. It’s underfunded (if funded at all). It’s opposed by many in the ossified public school hierarchy. It’s favored by families who, for years, have understood that summer vacation should not be cut short before the official end of summer, the Labor Day weekend.
North Dakotans should vote “yes” for a school calendar change that been a long time coming.
Among opponents’ complaints is that the change usurps local control. It does not. The number of days on the school calendar is fixed in state law, and local school schedules are established within that time frame. The measure would merely say school should not start before Labor Day. That’s all. It does not say when school should end or what sort of configuration local districts must adopt to accommodate the legal requirements for days in school.
Oh, heavens, cry coaches and sports schedulers: We’re going to have make huge changes in playing schedules and early practice. True enough. So, if the measure passes, just do it. Public schools all over the nation seem to find a way. It can’t be that complicated.
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Measure 8 is one of the best examples of North Dakotans using the election process to change what local school districts and state policy makers have refused to do. Here’s hoping a large “yes” vote leaves them properly chastened.
Endorsements represent the views of Forum Communications, the Herald’s parent company. This endorsement was written by The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
